<Begin Segment 11>

JA: You spoke of the minority new residents in Spokane, but how about others from the majority? Have they changed the character of Spokane?

SK: I think they have. Because periodically, the papers, news media will say something in our favor and remind the reading public that it takes everybody to make up the, the whole Spokane. I note that whenever something is, something good comes out, the papers play it up. And like, several years ago, several of us were given a whole page spread in the newspapers, including Dennis Yasuhara, who is the former national president of the JACL, myself, and another, another veteran with a European background, I believe. We were given a whole page spread on our background and how we were original Spokane residents and collectively we are still contributing to the, to the public welfare. So I think all in all, it's just a matter of blending in with the local problems and, and again, learning to get a long with other people. Because when you come right down to it, well, what is the United States of America? It's just a melting pot of people from four corners.

JA: The Idaho border is relatively close to Spokane.

SK: Right.

JA: And we again read about northern, northern Idaho and the skinheads. Does that have any effect on...

SK: It does, to an extent, because we note that the current problem at first, the, the organization led by Butler was going to have a parade in Coeur d'Alene, which is about -- well, it's just across the border. It's only 20 miles to the Idaho border from Spokane. And at first, the mayor of Coeur d'Alene hemmed and hawed and he sat on the problem, and he finally, they have now changed the date of the national get-together, but in the meantime, there's been a growing sense of opposition to any activities by the so-called skinheads or whatever you call them, led by Butler. We note with interest in Spokane of the problem that exists in Idaho, but as far as I'm concerned, it was during my three-term president of the Spokane chapter of the Retired Officers Association that we opened our membership to Idaho residents. Because we were only 20 miles from Idaho, and we noticed that there was no chapter of the Retired Officers Association in Northern Idaho. So, during one of my tours as president of the Spokane chapter, we opened our doors to qualified personnel in Idaho. That means commissioned officers, active duty, as well as warrant officers or ex-officers or warrant officers. They all qualify. So now, to this day, we're the (third) largest chapter on the Pacific Coast. There are (two) larger chapters in California and we're the (third) largest in Spokane with over 600 members. We're larger than Seattle, larger than Portland. (...) In fact, the current state president of the Washington state chapters of the Retired Officers Association comes from Idaho. He succeeds me. There are only three members of the Spokane chapter who have been state presidents. Fellow named, a navy officer who preceded me and then I came next in 1988-'89, and then the current president, state president from Idaho. Three of us.

<End Segment 11> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.