<Begin Segment 12>

MN: Since we're talking about this, you had to also take extra classes because Roosevelt didn't have the required classes to go to college. Am I correct on that?

RO: Well, that's a sad thing. Is that here I'm in my senior year, and you have senior problems, P.E., and maybe that's it. You know, it probably, it wasn't anything of an academic sort. So in order to be able to qualify, I had to go to junior college to pick up the prerequisites.

MN: So how long did you have to go to junior college?

RO: I went to East L.A. for, I think, the summer, and then I went to City College. And actually, it's finances, you know, for the family. So I went to City College for two years, and I transferred to UCLA.

MN: You know, some people might get discouraged having to overcome these barriers. You know, you have to take, you got to go to junior college, that's a financial strain, before you can even get to UCLA. Some people might not even, most kids might just say, "Forget it." What kept you going?

RO: Well, the thing is, it was definitely self-motivation because my parents supported whatever because we had all the conversations before about, "Nobody's gonna marry you," "Why don't you want to be something that doesn't require college?" Not because they don't think that you can do it at all, but they internalized their fears: "In this whitest society, there will be no place after you make that investment."

MN: And yet, you kept going.

RO: Hmm?

MN: Yet you kept going.

RO: Oh, because, again, there were teachers who looked up to you and felt that you can do whatever, and you believe that they should know. And they were all, happened to be gym teachers. So I could have probably studied something else, I was in the science honorary and did very well and all. In fact, the teacher said, "Why don't you want to go to medical school?" I said, "Because I want to be a gym teacher." You know, UCLA at that time, Stella Nakadate, she was a Nisei Week queen, Jane Ishi, June Sukida, her little sister Mayumi Sukida, they all became gym teachers. Lot of it is the leadership development was happening at Roosevelt on one hand. On the other hand, there was Mrs. Eagle. Mrs. Eagle was a new gym teacher in my senior year, that came from New York, and for whatever reason, she was challenged by my rapport with my classmates. I had pretty much kind of a dominant role in terms of my classmates. And I'm about ready to graduate, and I thought I was going to get an Ephebian award. I had all the class points and the, whatever, scholastic, everything. The senior advisor called me in and told me that, "You have been blackballed." And I said, "Yes, Mrs. Eagle?" And he said, he said, "Well, I want you to know that you got the majority of the class votes." And I said, "Well, that's more important to me than this little trophy." But a few years ago, I was inducted into the Roosevelt High School Hall of Fame, and there was a nice luncheon, and I recalled this story. And in a very undignified way, I said to the young people there, I said, "Don't you let anybody define or limit your potential." And whether it's a counselor or the Ms. Eagles. And I said, "To you, Mrs. Eagle..." [blows a raspberry]. It's terrible, but I felt good. [Laughs]

MN: But you know, when you were in high school and you learned this, I mean, were you --

RO: A brat?

MN: -- angry?

RO: What?

MN: Were you angry when you learned, back in high school when this happened to you?

RO: I don't know.

MN: It's so unfair.

RO: I don't know whether I'd describe... I have to tell you, I can't say that I'm angry. It's sort of like a badge of honor, almost. [Laughs] No, because if your class supports you, and then you know that there's something wrong with this person. She should not be teaching at East L.A. if she's threatened by student leadership.

MN: That's a very mature, I mean, you must have been very mature to be able to think through that way.

RO: No, I don't know... feisty. [Laughs]

MN: And you also skipped some grades?

RO: Yeah, a couple of 'em, yeah.

MN: Is it in high school that you skipped grades?

RO: In junior high and in high school, yes. So I was, I was sixteen when I graduated, but that was in June and my birthday's in December. I was the youngest.

MN: Were you ever in class with your older brother?

RO: He went to Garfield, our rival. He wanted me to go to Garfield, he thought that I'd be better off not being with all the Japanese Americans. He did not want me to join the club. He thought that they all, they lose their individuality and they... I went to Roosevelt, but I didn't join the club. I was very active, but in all these varied groups, but not the Japanese American girls' club. I was friendly with them, so what I did is I competed basketball on Japanese American teams.

MN: Like, at that time, was there an NAU?

RO: We were the Double-A All Stars, yes. Yamato Employment. Basketball is a very important part of my life because after playing at Belmont High School, eating four hamburgers, then we'd go over to City College to check out the guys. And I spotted one that's kind of cute, and that's Tom Ochi.

MN: Tell me -- since we're talking about basketball right now -- what position you played.

RO: Well, I'm really gonna date myself. It's when they had a line in the middle so you'd either be a forward or a guard. So we defended, we set them up, but we never shot. But that's okay. My, I'm happy in that role. And I think because of that, a lot of my efforts in the community were made possible because I could play a shadow role sometimes, if need be. And don't worry about glory, 'cause in different ways, it comes.

<End Segment 12> - Copyright © 2010 Densho. All Rights Reserved.