<Begin Segment 21>

TI: So you went down to University of Washington. When you were at the University of Washington where did you live? Where did you stay?

RO: Well, at first, do you know Fleazy Okazaki?

TI: Yes.

RO: Fleazy and I used to work at this Kai Psi fraternity house, Caucasian fraternity. We were the houseboys there, and so we got meals and everything. I forget if we got money, but we must've gotten some money.

TI: And this is while you're going to school too, so you're able, you had to do work at the fraternity and then you would go to school, and you'd get room and board, things like that.

RO: Uh-huh. But then after that we stayed at SYNKOA, both of us.

TI: So describe the SYNKOA house. I'm curious about what that was like after the war.

RO: Well, there was, a lot of the town people used to come there, I mean students, but there was basically maybe a couple dozen of us stayed there. And what the heck, we did the normal things.

TI: So describe, couple dozen, were they all Japanese American?

RO: Strictly.

TI: And so it was, so each one had their own, like did you share rooms or was it like everyone had their own room?

RO: We shared rooms, two. We actually had a Japanese cook. Of course, most of us were veterans, so we got seventy-five bucks a month to live on, which was plenty.

TI: And SYNKOA, can you tell me what SYNKOA, where that name came from?

RO: I think it was the...

MO: It was the initials of the seven people who had something to do with the beginning of the university, Nisei going to the university. The last name, there's a letter for each one of those people, and I don't know --

TI: Actually, I think they were the ones killed in action.

RO: I think so.

MO: Oh, killed in action.

TI: They were killed in action, and so that's where the initials, yeah, were...

RO: I think you're right.

TI: So I think, at least that's my understanding. In fact, my mom's brother, Kinoshita, was killed in action, so I think the K is part of that. And so any interesting stories about SYNKOA? You're actually one of the few people that I've interviewed about SYNKOA. I mean, I've always known about the SYNKOA house.

RO: We had dances and things for the students, picnics, and like I told you, the story about the three legged race.

TI: So this was a SYNKOA picnic that you did this?

RO: Yeah.

TI: And so tell me the story about the three legged race.

RO: [Laughs] We came in first.

TI: So we meaning, who was your partner? [RO points at MO] So your wife. [Laughs] Was this the first time you had met her?

RO: I don't think so, 'cause we went out there together, to the picnic.

TI: Okay.

RO: They had a dance out there too, I remember.

TI: And the way I heard the story is that you guys actually won the race? Is that...

RO: Yes.

TI: [Laughs] Okay, and ever since then you've been together. That's good. The other people who stayed at the SYNKOA house, were they Seattle boys or where they from outside of the area?

RO: Well, for example, Bob Sato was there, Sam Mitsui, Frank Nomiyama, Bill Tanabe. Lot of them came from the valley too, but I think most of them were Seattleites. (Yes). One automobile between all of us.

TI: And meaning that you would share it, or just that one person would drive people around when they needed the, is that what would happen?

RO: Sam Mitsui had the car.

TI: Okay. That's good. And was it a good environment to study from? I mean, I'm wondering if you guys partied too much or if you guys were actually serious about your studies.

RO: No, I think the study part was okay, but there's always card playing down in the main room there, and we had a basketball hoop outside. I always remember going down to watch Oregon State play. We went down in Sammy's car. We got pulled over and we had this ticket for seventy-five dollars. Fortunately we had enough money between all of us to take care of it.

TI: Boy, that seems like a lot of money for a ticket.

RO: Yeah, it is.

TI: Back, way back then, seventy-five dollars. That's almost like what you would expect to pay now for a ticket. That seems like a lot.

RO: It was a lot.

TI: And my understanding was SYNKOA house, it was for the men, but there was a similar type of organization for Japanese American women?

RO: Valledas. Well, Valledas, of course, there was other groups before that, right, the women? Valledas was during SYNKOA time.

TI: And so describe the relationship between SYNKOA and Valledas in terms of...

RO: We used to hold several events together, and we used to have a sort of a bazaar, right, Marian? Sixty-orty. [Laughs]

TI: So what's, what's the sixty-forty?

RO: SYNKOA got sixty percent and Valledas got forty. [Laughs]

TI: Oh, okay. Was that because, was the bazaar at the SYNKOA place?

RO: No.

TI: You just, you guys just negotiated a bigger cut.

RO: That's what Popo always talked about, right? Sixty-forty.

<End Segment 21> - Copyright © 2011 Densho. All Rights Reserved.