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MN: And then from Rosemead you moved to a farm on San Gabriel?

JI: On San Gabriel, yeah. San Gabriel Boulevard. And then my brothers and sisters got old enough to take over, so I went to college. I had them give me a hundred dollars, and then I went to UC Davis for two years, then I transferred to UC Berkeley and got my BS there at Berkeley.

MN: What did you major in?

JI: Soil science. Soil science and horticulture. And I came home and went to school in L.A. Unified School District and got my teaching credential.

MN: Before we go that fast, I'm gonna stop you. We skipped the war years. When you were going to school at UC Davis and Berkeley, what kind of job did you have?

JI: Housekeeping. So I was the housekeeper for whatever officers of the school at Davis. And then when I went to Berkeley, I also got a job working for one of the school officials. That's how I got away and got to school. So I spent a lot of time working and studying, and I kept a B average, so I did all right.

MN: Did you cut hair also?

JI: Huh?

MN: Did you cut hair?

JI: Yes, I cut hair also. In my spare time, I would cut hair. Yeah, I did a lot of housework primarily. Anyplace where I can get a job. Because to make your way through college, it takes a lot of funding. And so I kept pretty busy. And I kept a B average, which is pretty good for working and going to school.

MN: Were you in ROTC at Berkeley?

JI: Yeah, at Davis.

MN: At Davis also. Was the ROTC compulsory? Did you have to be, did all males have to be in --

JI: Well, at first they had, you had to do something, some sort of sports or P.E. I did, I worked in the ROTC.

MN: So after you graduated from Berkeley with a degree in agriculture and horticulture, it was soil science?

JI: Soil science and horticulture.

MN: Horticulture. That was in 1940?

JI: 1940.

<End Segment 5> - Copyright © 2010 Densho. All Rights Reserved.