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TI: And one of the things we talked about was the mini-bikes?

FH: Yeah.

TI: So why don't you talk about that?

FH: And so 1969, '68 I got the job, left San Francisco, came here, '68. And then in '69, some young guys comes to me and says, "You're on the national staff, Fred, we need help." "How can I help you?" "We need mini-bikes. We want mini-bikes." I said, "What? Mini-bikes, that's not YMCA tool. Basketball, yes, camping, yes. Mini-bikes is a rich man's, boy's, tool, toy." "Oh, no. There are kids out there that if you got mini-bikes, they'll come to the Y. Otherwise, they won't join the Y. The Y has nothing for them." I said, 'That's right, we're having trouble." Revolution, youth revolution. So I said, "My gosh, well, I don't know where you get mini-bikes, but I know that Honda makes 'em." "Well, Fred, would you go see them and see what you can do?" I said, "I don't know anybody at Honda," but I know they make it because where I was sitting in this office, Olympic Street there, big street signs, outdoor sign, "From the Mini to the Mighty." Little mini-bike and a big cruiser. And so a fellow named Alan Kumamoto, a friend of mine, he was a junior JACL executive, and I said, "Alan, you're on the board of the YMCA. Do you happen to know anybody at Honda?" Said, "Yeah, I know Matt who works for American Honda." "Can you set up a meeting?" So he called him up and we had lunch. We requested twelve mini-bikes. And Matt says, "If it's one or two, I could give it to you tomorrow, but twelve, I gotta go upstairs," meaning he can't make that decision. Well, a week later he calls back and says, "Okay, where do you want these twelve?" So we got over there, one of the Ys started this program. Keith Davis was a young, young graduate from George Williams YMCA school, and he's a brand-new program person. and he goes out in the street and talks to kids, and that's what... every time a motorcycle goes by there, their eyes lit up. "Oh, did you see that Harley? Did you see that Honda? See that Kawasaki?" He says, "These kids are interested in motorcycles. And sure enough, we got these mini-bikes, twelve of those. Got these kids together, and they'll come every day, just faithful, they'll change their behavior, they just, it's a great catalyst, great toy, great instrument, to reach kids. And for getting those mini-bikes, they'll do anything. They'll say, "Oh, we'll change, we'll get all A's." But we knew that's not going to happen. Get a couple C's, get a couple F's, and then cutting, cut that down. Little by little, it worked. It worked so well that I've never seen a program... I've been, all my life I'm working with kids, okay, since 1945, '41, actually. And yet, I've never seen a program that worked as well as this, different program. National youth program using mini-bikes.

So eventually, the upshot of all this is, during my watch -- I retired in 1980 -- over 450 boys and girls of twelve to fifteen, twelve to fourteen, fifteen, that age group, were kept out of the juvenile justice system. In the United States, the juvenile justice system is a farce. It doesn't rehabilitate. It makes them smarter crooks as they go in and out, in and out like a revolving door. And it's a big industry, it cost thirty to fifty thousand dollars per year to incarcerate one kid and educate him and keep his health. And they're in some kind of a school, reform school. It's big industry without educating the kids. And that's the farce that we have in this country. So NIMBA... help to keep these kids out of the system. 'Cause once they get in, they can't get out of the system. They either end up a murderer, or they get killed. Either a murderer or murdered.

TI: And so you really needed something like the mini-bikes, something really, that would really attract these people to change.

FH: That's right. Unless you could attract the kids and have the confidence, you can't communicate with 'em. And this bike does it because they're interested in it. And so I said, "Why does this help?" Well, mountain bike is similar, but kids get on these bikes and they're excited. It's also risk-taking. They like that risk. And so if kid enjoys something, it's adventurous, and they feel good about it, they learn faster. And so if we could find music or art or whatever that the kid's excited about, then they'll learn and they will become disciplined, and you could talk to them. That's what I learned about the NIMBA program. But during my watch, as I say, Honda gave us sixteen thousand bikes. Sixteen thousand bikes, and it never cost us, not one time. Free gift, and they ship it wherever we want it through their agents around the country. And they have two thousand agents around United States, agencies, you know, Honda dealers. And that's how this program grew. So after, while twelve became twenty-five, and then twenty-five became sixteen thousand mini-bikes. So I asked Mr. Honda, when I had the privilege of meeting him, I said, "Mr. Honda, you could give us a thousand bike and say, 'Hey, we've done our share.' But sixteen thousand? Tell me, why do this? We appreciate it, I'm not saying we don't like it, we love it. But I'm just amazed at why you're willing to do that." First he said, "I don't want to mix sales with philanthropy. A gift is a gift. And I enjoy doing this because when we started a company in the United States, it took us a while, but the American people accepted us, supported us, and made us the largest motorcycle company in the world, and one of the larger automobile companies in the world. So if the American youth needs help, let us be part of that." What a man. What a man.

TI: What a great story, and what a great accomplishment.

FH: So through these little connections I had, through the kid named Jimmy that says, "Get us mini-bikes and we'll come to the Y," one person can make a difference, just by just that little, "Get us mini-bikes and we'll come to the Y." Anybody can do that, but that made a difference. Four hundred fifty kids, and it's still going on. This program is still alive today.

TI: That's a good story. So Fred, we're coming to the end of our interview now.

FH: Oh, okay.

TI: Is there anything else that, just that you would like to share to help end this interview?

FH: Well, I did quite a bit. [Laughs]

TI: This, you've covered so many materials, and I'm just wondering...

FH: Well, I just want to say this: that we live today in a society that's kind of, I think, we need each person to take a stand in what they really believe is important. When we have a Congress that's almost deadlocked, and we have a nation that's scared of terrorism, and we have wars continue on, that industry, the citizen's got to speak up. Because it's the citizens, the common folks, that's going to make a difference. I think Margaret Mead said, "A small, committed group of citizens can change the world. In fact, that's the only way you could make changes in the world." And I believe that, too. And so one person, a small group, can make that difference, and so I hope that we could plant seeds so that this will happen. 'Cause we need a world that is peace-loving, and that we are one world.

TI: Excellent. Thank you so much.

FH: Oh, my pleasure, thank you.

TI: That was a wonderful way to end that. Thank you so much. It's an honor and privilege to have done this with you.

FH: Listen, I'm the one that's honored, and I'm the one that's privilege. I thank God that I have these opportunities. [Laughs]

<End Segment 35> - Copyright © 2010 Densho. All Rights Reserved.