<Begin Segment 11>

TI: Okay, I'm going to switch gears a little bit now, talk about your schooling. When you were young, let's talk first about the school that you went to, Benjamin Parker. Why don't you tell me about that school, and where that was.

TM: Benjamin Parker was a very small school and it was in the town of Kaneohe. It was about a mile away from our home. When I started my first grade they did not have enough rooms so the first grade classes, actually just a single class, was held across in the church. The church had enough space for the first graders, which meant that you were fully away from the main Benjamin Parker. You had to make or take your own lunch. Lunch was all homemade. Then after the first grade, from second grade on, you were in the main Benjamin Parker proper. And that was the start of my education.

TI: Good. You talked about in particular the principal, Ms. Donaldson, I want you to describe her for me.

TM: Benjamin Parker was quite small. It was only an elementary (but) eventually went to the intermediate division. The principal was Mrs. Donaldson, a very energetic woman, a spinster. She controlled the school like a policeman. In other words, people and children were afraid of her. Whenever you did something wrong the teacher would send you to Mrs. Donaldson, which meant that you were going to come out with spanking. She always kept a five foot long rubber hose with her and her trademark was using that rubber hose. Fortunately, I didn't get a single hosing from her.

TI: You know, in your class, what was the kind of make up in terms of different races? Was it mostly Japanese or were there different races, how would you describe it?

TM: Well, there were mostly Japanese. You had Chinese because you had Chinese farmers, and few Hawaiians, and that's about it, I think.

TI: Okay, you mentioned some other things that I thought was really interesting, for like dental care, it sounds like you got your dental care through the school, that's where the dentist would come on a regular basis. Do you remember that?

TM: Yes, the health plan was strictly getting outside (dentist). The dentist came from his office and once a year. He would come around and he would examine you, and if it's a filling, he would do the filling, extraction, he would do that. (...) The school had hired this particular dentist who took care of all the students and that was our dental care that we received.

TI: So the school would pay for this?

TM: Yes, the school paid for it.

TI: You know that's interesting, I've never heard of school, in terms of --

TM: We were not charged for it.

TI: And something else you, that was written, was the day before you left for Christmas break was kind of a special day at the school. Tell me why that was special.

TM: We looked forward to Christmas but the last day of school before Christmas (that) you were in class, the teacher would pass out a box, which was a small, three by five by seven or so (rectangular) box. In there would be toys that were actually donated by the Red Cross. Somehow the school received the boxes every year, and (...) before Christmas, each student got a box. You had enough time to trade the toys that you got and then, in addition to that, you got a apple and an orange and that was our Christmas present from the school.

TI: You know, when you talk about this with other people, growing up in the islands during this time, was that a common thing for people to get these little packages from the Red Cross?

TM: Oh, yes. Apparently they had enough boxes and even a teacher got one for herself.

TI: See this is why I love doing these interviews, you know, I've done most of my interviews on the mainland. I've never heard of this, this is kind of a more unique story about the islands, about these little boxes from the Red Cross, so that's interesting. You know if people were to describe you in terms of what kind of student you were at Benjamin Parker, how would they describe you?

TM: Well, it's hard to say. Apparently, I got along well with the other children, and I did my homework, studied and didn't get into any trouble. As far as class was concerned, I enjoyed school. It was a good time for me.

TI: And how about academic standing, in terms of the class, were you one of the better students?

TM: At that school, they had a class all together, grouped in one class together, and I don't recall getting a report card that was below average. The teachers were quite satisfied. Except for music, I couldn't carry a tune and during music class, the teacher would send me to the library to do research work, I would call it. I would write a paper on a musician that the teacher would assign me and after the class was over, well, the next day, I had to make that report. So I was strictly out of the music class. I just couldn't carry a tune.

TI: It's like when they would sing or something, that you were so off, in terms of singing, she'd rather have you in the library doing research. [Laughs] That's funny.

TM: That's right. In a way it helped me because I learned to write, and in later years I got the help from, you know, that library work.

TI: That's a good story.

<End Segment 11> - Copyright © 2011 Densho. All Rights Reserved.