<Begin Segment 23>

TL: But you were able to pursue some of your interest in art --

YB: Well --

TL: At Santa Barbara Normal school?

YB: To a certain extent, but I think I kind of lost interest because my teacher was gone. And I had to take up whatever I could. I was taking up stagecraft from him. And with the big earthquake a lot of it was crumpled. We had that big earthquake and everything was left up at the school. And I retrieved some of it but some of it was kind of crumpled.

[Interruption]

TL: So we were talking about Santa Barbara State Normal and... that earthquake --

YB: My classes.

TL: And the classes. Let's see, so go ahead. Okay. How did your parents feel about your wanting to go to Santa Barbara State Normal?

YB: Well they were happy. They wanted me to really study and maybe do something outstanding, but I think I was in the wrong path. I was interested in art. And they said that if that's what you want that's fine, because they had artists in the family. And, having that interest she said that she didn't mind that if I wanted to pursue it that was fine. So that's what I was interested in and the teacher that was very much interested in stagecraft, was interested in me. He and his wife, having no children, was interested in taking me and sort of boarding me at their home and seeing to it that I would take (up) a course. And... or stagecraft and I thought gee that ought to be fun, working in Hollywood studios, but Mother wouldn't let me go. So he would, they would send me tickets for traveling shows like from Japan, the Cherry Blossom group came. So every time there was a well-known play would come through, they'd send me three tickets so that we could attend. And still keep in touch, but I, I wished I had, because doing stagecraft even now, I had made miniatures... samples of what I would like or would do. And we all made our own displays, but after he left then there was no more classes. So I didn't get to (continue).

<End Segment 23> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.