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TI: Okay, so after the Uplands, where did your father go? I have on my notes that you really grew up in Garden Grove.

YU: George was born in Uplands, and then from there we moved to, toward Garden Grove. It's in Orange County.

TI: And why did he move? What was the --

YU: Well, I guess for the farming, and there was, I guess the soil in the Uplands area was not conducive to growing vegetables, so we grew melons and things like that. And I guess they felt that growing vegetables would be better than melons.

TI: And at this point did your father continue doing things with his brother? Was his brother along, or did he go someplace else?

YU: No, my brother --

TI: Not your brother, his brother.

YU: His brother, his brother went back to Calexico area and started a dairy farm.

TI: Okay. So your father really kind of tried something different, then.

YU: Yes, right.

TI: So what are some early memories of Garden Grove for you, when you think about Garden Grove, growing up?

YU: Well, Garden Grove was an area where it was all, practically, lemons and orange, mostly oranges, and we started a farm and started growing vegetables there. And I was, started grammar school, elementary school there in a little, small school. I think we went from first, second, third, fourth, I think the oldest one in there was fifth grade, a fifth grader, but we were all in one room.

TI: So the old classic one-room schoolhouse.

YU: Right.

TI: And in that school, how many other Japanese were there?

YU: I was the only one.

TI: And what were the other races in the, in your class?

YU: They were all Caucasians.

TI: And in general, what, the family that sent their kids to that school, were they also farmers, or did they do other types of things?

YU: I'm not sure if they were all farmers. I think most of 'em were citrus growers.

TI: So you're the only Japanese at this school. Was there a very large Japanese community in Garden Grove?

YU: No, there was not.

TI: So growing up, were there, how about things like Japanese language school, did, was that something that you and your brothers and sister had to do?

YU: We didn't, we didn't have any Japanese schools there. My brother and sister, they were not brought with me or with Henry, because they were left there in Japan.

TI: So growing up, you were kind of the oldest, then?

YU: I was the oldest, right.

<End Segment 3> - Copyright © 2012 Densho. All Rights Reserved.