<Begin Segment 24>

TI: My last question had to do, just to mention your family. So you married your wife in the late 1940s.

TO: Yeah, '49.

TI: '49. And how many children did you have?

TO: We have four children.

TI: So can you tell me the names of your children?

TO: Joyce...

TI: Who you mentioned, she was the one who worked at Keiro down in Los Angeles.

TO: Uh-huh. And then Susan.

TI: And she's still at the college?

TO: Yeah, Seattle Pacific University. And then our son John...

TI: And John used to be with the Port of Seattle, sort of like their Chief Operating Officer, now is with the Teachers Union?

TO: Yeah, right. And Sheila, she's the youngest.

TI: And what does Sheila do?

TO: She's an accountant. She works for various organizations, she's a mother first, and so she does, working part-time. I think she works for the Vista, what's the name of the big nursing home up in the north end? Crista, Crista. She'd doing part-time work there, and she's doing some private accounting work. Busy, busy gal.

TI: Okay, so all your children did very well.

TO: Yeah, I'm very proud of them. Very, very proud of them, yeah.

TI: And any last comments about your family, your wife that you wanted to say?

TO: Well, yeah. I'm very, very fortunate that I married this woman. She's been very supportive in all the things I've done. She's had to put up with a lot of my away from home, lot of times I'd be in the bar making these big decisions and she put up with that, and she supported me all the way. So she's just, been very fortunate that I've had her all these, sixty years in November.

TI: And you know what, I've been remiss, I didn't have you say her name. I know her maiden name was Akagi.

TO: Akagi, Toshiko. Toshiko Akagi.

TI: And '49, so you've been married almost sixty years?

TO: Sixty years in November.

TI: Wow, that's good. So Tosh, that's all my questions. Is there anything that...

TO: Well, one thing, I'm also on the Board of Directors of the Kawabe House here, and that's been a very satisfying experience, that we've made, along with my fellow board members in the last twenty-five years, we've really improved that facility and got it stabilized financially. And I recruited most of the board members, which are always telling me that, and I want to retire. [Laughs] But anyway, I'm very proud of what we've done there.

TI: Wow, another institution in the community. Very good. Well, so Tosh, thank you so much. We went another two hours, so I think in total, over four hours of interviews. But this was just chock full of information.

TO: Well, first of all, I want to thank you for what you're doing for our community. Four our country, really, not just for our community, and I think that's something that I really support. And I can't do a whole lot about it, but I'm glad that you're taking the leadership in doing it for us. Because we have to do it before it's too late, as you tell us.

TI: Well, and like you, it's a privilege. I mean, I get so much out of this work, and I think you would appreciate and understand when I say that.

TO: It's been very satisfying. You've got a ways to go yet. [Laughs] Very good. Towards the end, especially looking at my fellow Nisei, but it's been a good life, believe me. Really been a good life, very thankful for where I'm at today.

TI: Very good, thank you.

TO: Thank you.

<End Segment 24> - Copyright © 2009 Densho. All Rights Reserved.