<Begin Segment 17>

MN: Now, you mentioned earlier about the dance classes, and I wanted to ask you about these. Were these American or Japanese dance classes?

BT: American dance, yeah.

MN: Like ballroom dancing?

BT: Yes.

MN: Where were these dance classes held?

BT: It was in a recreation hall. And I don't know if it was every Saturday or once a month, whatever, they'd have the street dancing, dance on the street. And the Issei are not used to this, so this, felt sorry for this one girl, the father got mad, he went over there and he yanked her off, out the, wherever they were dancing. It was kind of difficult.

MN: Now, you're learning how to dance, did you go to any of these dances?

BT: No, just the last dance. That was kind of embarrassing, but it, we were supposed to ask a date. I said, "Oh, I'll ask this certain girl." And when it came time, I couldn't talk. Yeah, all my friends were in the barrack, listening what's happening, and of course, I couldn't say, I couldn't, I was so bashful that I couldn't ask the girl for a date. So one of my friends felt sorry for me, so he comes out and says, "He just wants to ask you for a date, go dance." So that was an experience.

MN: I hope --

BT: She did say yes. [Laughs]

MN: Did you have a good time with her?

BT: I don't remember. I don't think so. I was so nervous. [Laughs] Yeah.

MN: Aside from playing basketball and baseball and working, how did you spend the rest of your free time?

BT: We just hung around, sometimes played cards. In those days, the Isseis, they're pretty strict. They didn't want the kids to gamble, so we, even playing the game of Hana, you had to do it so the Isseis won't catch you. They're pretty strict on that.

MN: What did your mother do at the assembly center?

BT: She worked in the mess hall.

MN: Now, were there any fights or rioting at the Fresno Assembly Center?

BT: Not that I know of. I know there was one incident where, I think the Pinedale, people in the Pinedale went to the, whatever camp they were assigned to, so some of the men in Fresno Assembly Center went over there to clean, clean up the mess. And there was one guy that, they felt, was a stool pigeon, kind of a, telling the Caucasians this and that, so they got hold of him and kind of worked him over.

MN: Now, the Fresno Assembly Center had people coming in from the Florin area?

BT: Yes.

MN: What kind of rumors went around about people from that area?

BT: Yeah, there's always talk, I guess. When you don't know, you make up stories or whatever. But they felt that these people from Florin or Elk Grove, what do you call them, lower caste people. Yeah, the way they treat them in Japan, they saw it the same way over here. That, something like that is kind of sad, but I guess it happened.

MN: Santa Anita Assembly Center had problems with gangs. Did the teenagers at the Fresno Assembly Center have problems with different gangs?

BT: Not that I'm aware of. Yeah, we got along pretty well together.

<End Segment 17> - Copyright © 2012 Densho. All Rights Reserved.