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SY: So all this time that you were teaching you were also doing your community work, right?

GN: Yeah.

SY: Can you talk a little bit about when that started and, it started with the senior, the senior citizens?

GN: Yes, it was, it began with the Gardena Pioneer Project, and that program, or that organization began in 1969 and that's when it was incorporated. And there was a number of pioneer projects that were created throughout southern California. There was one in the Seinan area, San Fernando Valley, San Gabriel Valley, I think in Venice, West L.A.

SY: So why did you choose to focus on this particular...

GN: It so happened that I was asked to help out, and that's how I got involved. And, well, aside from that, I was involved in kendo as well, but with the Pioneer Project, it was mainly helping the Isseis. Many of the Isseis, from what I understand, when social security first began farmers were not able to become part of the social security program and so a lot of the older Issei didn't have social security, yet for those who were having difficulty financially had too much pride about being on welfare. And so we wanted to provide a health fair as well as recreational programs for the Issei, and so that was, those were the reasons why pioneer projects were created.

SY: I see, so it was educational kind of, wanted to teach them how to...

GN: Yes. And the real highlight of the Pioneer Project was in 1973, and there's always these annual hanami trips that we would take in April when the flowers would bloom in the Lancaster area and 1973, I think, was at its height of the Pioneer Project. There were total of thirty-five buses that gather at Lancaster from the various pioneer projects, and one of the wonderful things that happened was that here you had all these Issei as well as some of the older Niseis who have not seen some people since the war ended. They knew each other in camp, and so by chance they had gathered in Lancaster and they were able to...

SY: Reacquaint?

GN: Yeah, reacquaint each other and see some of their old friends.

SY: That's great. So, and how big was your Gardena Pioneer Project? How many people would you say were involved?

GN: I think at that time we had at least a couple of buses, maybe three.

SY: Good size.

GN: Yeah.

SY: And was it, did you have other people helping you? Was it a --

GN: Well, that's the thing. We had a lot of young people, college students mostly, that were helping.

SY: All volunteer?

GN: All volunteers. And that's where I developed that interest about going into teaching and having an impact on society.

SY: That's great. And so at the same time now, you were also involved in some other organizations besides the Pioneer Project, or did that all come later as far as your community involvement?

GN: I think some of those came later.

SY: So once, you were with the Pioneer Project for roughly for how many years?

GN: 1969 to I would say about 1982, thereabouts.

SY: Wow, long time. And did that, what did that lead to? Did you decide to do other things as a result of that, that particular kind of community focus?

GN: Well, I got also involved with the Torrance sister city program. That was in 1976. And then when I got on the Torrance city council in '84 I was recruited to join the United Way, and so I was on the board of directors up until maybe 1996 or thereabouts.

SY: And the, so the Pioneer Project continued after you left it?

GN: Yes. They had enough people there that would continue on as, in a leadership position, so that was one that was well taken care of.

<End Segment 3> - Copyright © 2011 Densho. All Rights Reserved.