<Begin Segment 2>

SY: And so let's go back a little, and if you could tell me a little bit about your parents, where they were from originally?

CI: Well, my father was from Fukuoka-ken. I'm not sure about the machi or anything. And he must have come when he was about eighteen or nineteen. We did look up his travel plans at the museum, but I'm not exactly sure about that. My mother was born in Oroville, California. She was the oldest of three daughters.

SY: So your mother was Nisei.

CI: Yes.

SY: And tell me your father's full name?

CI: It was Masaaki George Tomoeda.

SY: Did he give himself the name of George?

CI: I don't know.

SY: But he had...

CI: He had George as his name.

SY: And he was the only one from his family who came to the United States?

CI: Not that I know of. But it's quite, we don't know too much about him because he died when I was only a year old.

SY: I see. So you really don't remember your father at all.

CI: No, not at all.

SY: But did your mother talk about him at all, or do you know...

CI: She did. I think he was probably studying to be a pharmacist. I know he was very artistic, because I have a few things that he did that is still in my possession.

SY: And how exactly did he die?

CI: He got cancer of the stomach.

SY: Cancer of the stomach. So was it sudden, do you know?

CI: I don't think it was sudden. Cancer of the stomach is usually not sudden.

SY: So then did he have siblings that you know of? You don't know?

CI: I don't know. I do vaguely remember my mother speaking about a sister and a brother. But about the family I know nothing.

SY: But so you're very much more aware of your mother's family then?

CI: Yes, uh-huh.

SY: And your mother's family, well, she was born here, so her parents then were the ones that came from Japan?

CI: Uh-huh.

<End Segment 2> - Copyright &copy; 2012 Densho. All Rights Reserved.