Densho Digital Archive - Fred Y. Hoshiyama Interview (denshovh-hfred

<Begin Segment 25>

TI: Yeah, before we... I want to talk about that. But let's talk about Topaz first.

FH: Topaz.

TI: Those four months you're in Topaz, and just, what memories of that, and then we'll go on.

FH: Oh, I tell you, that was exciting for me. Not only did I introduce each group coming in and introduce Charles Ernst as the project director so the people feel welcome, but two, there's a guy named Roy Takagi that was in our block. I knew him from San Francisco, he's an accountant. And he, I was taking a shower one night, he says, "Fred, you're in the Y, you know a lot of people. I want you to recruit about fifteen strong young adults to help finish the camp. The hospital's not finished yet, and the sewer system is not working well. So can you get about fifteen hard workers and we'll pay you current wages, $1.25 an hour instead of $1.25 a month." So we had eight dollars a month, twelve dollars a month, sixteen dollars a month, and nineteen dollars a month, professionals. That was the rate. Here we were making hundreds of dollars. And I recruited strong, healthy young adults, and I was the straw boss for these people to work every day. So as soon as I introduced all the people coming in and all that, then I stopped doing this recruiting and supervising. And some of these guys goof off, so I sit down with them and I said, "Look. I know it's tempting to goof off, but we're paid, and these guys aren't paid. And so you guys should hang in there. Either that, or I'll have to find somebody else." "Oh, no, no. We'll be majime." Majime means, "We'll be steady." Anyhow, I did that for about, through all of December, about a month. Then I got this chance to go out. So I quit this job and took off.

TI: And that's when you went to college.

FH: Yeah. But before I left in December, I said to the group of fifteen people, I got 'em together and I said, "Look. This is a lot of ask of you, but at least a minimum, I'd like to raise about five hundred dollars and give it to the children so they could have Christmas candy or something." 'Cause we've got jobs, and these other guys got nothing. Sure enough, they all said, "Sure, okay, Fred, we'll give you a hundred..." anyhow, we got about eight hundred dollars together, and I left that with camp to buy candy for the kids. Just give it to them.

TI: That's a good story.

FH: So those things happened. And then --

TI: Before you go on too much, I wanted to go back to when you helped greet the people as they came off the train. Do you remember what you said?

FH: Well, first, yes, generally I do remember. First, I'd introduce myself, who I am, and I said, "Some of you," I said, "how many of you have heard of me?" See some hands. I always try to get them interactive. So if they raise their hand a few times, they'll say, "Oh, Fred must be okay 'cause my neighbor knows him," or something. Then I tell 'em that, "I'm just like one of you, I came in such and such a date, and I have the pleasure of welcoming you here. I know it was a tough ride, I know you're tired, I know you want to get going. But the project director who's sitting here, Mr. Ernst, he and his family, and then that's Lorne Bell, the fellow that used to work in the YMCA, they just want to say hello to you," something like that. So I would introduce them.

TI: And then what would Mr. Ernst say when he had his --

FH: Oh, he would say, "Welcome," and, "I know this is not your choice, but we have to make the best we can, and we could do it better if we work together," that kind of approach. Very, very... I'm not so sure if he's a Quaker himself or not, but he had a very strong feeling of comradeship. He was, no one, I never heard any negative things about him, yeah.

TI: Good, okay.