<Begin Segment 25>

TI: So 1954, PhD chemistry. What are the job prospects for PhD chemists?

TM: At that time jobs were plentiful. They were looking for chemists and other scientists so before we got our degree, the companies interested in you would come over and interview you and invite you to their organization and offer you, if you're capable, a job. So you had so much offer. Jobs were plentiful and as I recall, I had at least four offers to decide on which track to go to.

TI: And before we get to which one you chose, so after you got your PhD, what was your mother's reaction to you being a doctor?

TM: Well, my mother was elated and word passed around in that small Heeia community that I got a PhD in chemistry and this was unusual because getting a PhD from Kaneohe was unheard of. And word got around that I got it and a radio Japanese station interviewed my mother and things like that happened and she was quite happy.

TI: Did she say anything to you, personally, just one on one, about you getting a PhD? Because she, in some ways this was one of her dreams for you to go through all the education, to go to college, and then ultimately get a PhD. So she must have been pretty happy about this. Did she ever talk to you personally?

TM: Yes, she did. She was talking about it and she said, "Now the next step you have is finding a job." And while she didn't come out openly, she wanted me to find a job in Hawaii. I said, "In the chemical field, opportunities are very limited in Hawaii. On the mainland I have offers already and I could get a job any time I want." But I always had in mind that she wanted me to return to Hawaii and get a decent job in Hawaii. And for that reason, I decided to take one extra year of research as a PhD, post doctorate worker. So I worked another year at Ohio State as a post doctorate research chemist. And it gave me enough time to look around in the field of chemistry in Hawaii. I was hoping that by chance I might be able to find a position. But I had the mainland company, one of the mainland companies, already reserved in case I had to find a job.

TI: While then there was a position that opened up in Hawaii. So describe that position.

TM: One of the chemistry professors in sugar chemistry had heard that there was an opening at the Hawaii Sugar Planters' Association. And he informed my senior professor that they were looking for someone. So I was contacted by my senior professor. I applied to the Planters' Association if there was an opening. And they did not reply to me for a while but eventually they said, "We will put you under consideration." And in the meantime, I was working as a post doctorate at the Ohio State University. Then the director of the sugar planters, the research division happened to be traveling on the mainland and he was an Ohio State alumnus and he made arrangement to interview me at Ohio State. And so he interviewed me and said, "I cannot promise you a job in Hawaii. It will depend on the department head but I will put good words for you to the department head and he will decide whether he will offer you a job or not." And it stood at that point.

TI: Now tell me a little bit about the Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association because it doesn't sound like necessarily a place where a chemist would work, I mean, it sounds like a sugar association. Describe why you would want to work at the Sugar Planters' Association.

TM: For one thing, I got my degree in organic chemistry and in organic chemistry you can go into various fields, can go into the pharmaceutical field, the oil industry, industrial research and even in sugar research. And I had enough courses in sugar chemistry that I could be comfortable working for the sugar industry. So I thought to myself, while it may be limited, I'll take a crack at it and see if I could get into the sugar industry.

TI: When it comes to the sugar chemistry, the Planters' Association was probably one of the top research facilities when it comes to sugar research, you know, sugar chemistry research. And so isn't that correct, isn't that why you were interested so it wasn't just a kind of... I mean, it was a well-known research facility is what I'm trying to make a point of.

TM: The Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association had a research center called the Experiment Station. It was well-known. In fact, it was one of the first private research institution in the United States. They were well-known for their research in sugar and even in Hawaii it was a well-recognized organization. To get into that research center was very difficult. It was a prestigious position and people respected scientists working for the Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association. Even during the war, they contributed a lot.

TI: And so you were hired by the Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association and so really, going back to your mother's dream, that not only did you get your PhD, but you then were able to come back to Hawaii, to Honolulu, to work so it really, again, must have pleased her that all these things happened, you know, for you and for the family.

TM: That's right, she was quite happy because she doesn't know anything about the chemical field. The fact that I went into sugar research and got employed but the Experiment Station meant a lot to her. And, in fact, I was the first Asian PhD accepted by the Experiment Station, and later on there were other Asians and people coming in. So my mother was happy being assured that I was the first to get into that opening (...).

TI: So, Tosh, that comes to kind of the end of my questions, but I want to give you an opportunity to chat about anything else that you think you would want to include in this interview. I want to in some ways show that the sacrifices your mother made to have you educated kind of bore fruit in terms of you getting PhD and then getting a really good job in Hawaii. Again, it's just not your mother, I mean, you had to do all the work. But is there anything else you want to talk about?

TM: The thing that I want to mention is that I, actually, was away from home for about thirteen years strictly because of my studies. Starting from McKinley High School, going to University of Louisville, and then Ohio State University, so it seems that all the effort that I spent, the fact that I was able to please my mother, get home and get a decent job, made me happy, in other words, I did not fully realize that it was something that I could do. I would have been perhaps happier if I stayed on the mainland where the things were more open in the chemical industry and then I could have progressed much more. But I feel comfortable in the fact I have served my time, was able to meet my goal, got a decent job, and was able to survive in the chemical industry, this was the sugar industry. And so, in a way, I feel that it has come to a good conclusion and so I am enjoying my retired life.

TI: That's good, that's a good way to end it. So thank again for doing this interview, I really enjoyed it, I learned a lot in doing the research and talking with you. Again, thank you.

<End Segment 25> - Copyright © 2011 Densho. All Rights Reserved.