<Begin Segment 20>

TI: Were you ever asked to sing outside?

MN: In that acapella group learned a song called, it was the musical called Ballad for (Americans). It was a beautiful song, and they wanted to take that to other camps and take it out to different places to see that this is the kind of song that the kids in camp are singing. It's all about America, it's the history of America from King George in England and to the machine age or whatever. But it was a wonderful song, and they wanted to introduce it to all the other camps. But they could never get the permission. But we did have the outlying Caucasians come into the camp to listen to the program that we did sing for them, the Caucasian people in Bishop and Lone Pine and Ridgecrest, they all came into this program that we all sang.

TI: And where would they, is this the auditorium?

MN: It was... the auditorium was not built yet. Maybe it was built already. It could have been in the auditorium. No, no, it was not in the auditorium, it was in a big mess hall. I remember now, it was in a mess hall.

TI: And what would be the occasion that the local people would come into camp?

MN: I guess it was just by advertisement or whatever, word of mouth or whatever. They said this program was going to be on and so they came in and listened.

TI: And these were like musical programs?

MN: Yes, yes. But I believe that was the only thing that was presented, was that one song. It was a long song, it's the history of America.

TI: Wow, so it must be a long song. [Laughs]

MN: Yeah, it was a long song, yes. And all of us took part and then we'd narrate it and we sang different parts of it. Maybe there was orchestra, too, I don't remember. The orchestra might have performed before or whatever.

TI: It's called Ballad for (Americans)?

MN: Ballad for (Americans).

TI: And do you know who wrote this?

MN: I have the sheet music, I mean, I have the music at home, but I'll find it. (Narr. note: Ballad for Americans is a narrative solo for baritones by John LaTouche and Earl Robinson.)

TI: Okay, I was just curious. I never heard this. Did you ever go outside camp, other places in Owens Valley?

MN: Not during camp, never.

TI: Did you guys have a sense, like in places like Lone Pine or Independence or Bishop, how the townspeople felt about the Japanese in camp?

MN: I'm sure there was lots of animosity. They really said they didn't want that camp there among them, but the government said, "We're going to put it up," and they put it up. And the people of, the citizens of Lone Pine, Bishop, Independence, actually volunteered to work in camp, in the different departments. One was at the Red Cross section at the very beginning, she was in the Red Cross. And some people worked in the electrical department and plumbing, they all got paid by the government.

TI: Did you ever develop relationships with any of the people?

MN: Yes, yes.

TI: So describe some of those.

MN: Oh, this one lady who became a nurse became our dear friend. And her husband ran a gas station in Independence, and her... gosh, I can't remember her name. But we used to, she used to come in and we used to get together through after the camp (closed). And we became friends and we would take things to her that she couldn't get over there, and we had a fish market so we would take fresh things to her, and we just became fast friends and there were people who worked in the... the county seat is in Independence. And they oversee everything in Lone Pine and Independence and Bishop. And the librarian there became a very good friend and she donated a lot of things to my husband to put into the museum, my husband's connection with the Eastern California Museum, that she had that she had collected in camp. And even the former director of the camp, Mr. Ralph Merritt, his son became a very fast friend. And we used to go to his place in Fontana and we just did a lot of things together.

TI: That's good.

<End Segment 20> - Copyright © 2009 Densho. All Rights Reserved.