<Begin Segment 14>

MN: I'm going to go back a little ways and go back to when you graduated from... is it Cal State Los Angeles you graduated?

KY: When I got my Bachelor's it was probably called Los Angeles State, and when I got my Master's it was Cal State University at Los Angeles. But it was located at the same site.

MN: Now, you passed the CPA exam, you have your Degree, were you able to find a job easily?

KY: I found a job with the State because the person that interviewed me had had favorable experiences with Japanese Americans. So when I interviewed with him, being Japanese American was an asset rather than a liability. So he thought, well, if I was like his other Japanese American employees, he'd be well-off, so he'd be willing to hire me.

MN: Why didn't you join a big CPA firm? You have the grades, you passed the test.

KY: Because I was Japanese American. Even in 1963, there was obvious prejudice against us. I had two classmates, and we were in the top five percent and top one percent of our class. But they were hiring Caucasians with C averages rather than us. And one of the recruiters had the nerve to tell me that his firm wasn't prejudiced, but their clients were, so they didn't want to hire us, which I thought was a bunch of baloney, but there's not much I could do about it.

MN: So you got hired with the State of California.

KY: Yes.

MN: So you're working as a professional now. What did you wear to work?

KY: Wore a suit every day. And I bought my custom made suits from Joseph Men's Wear in Little Tokyo.

MN: Now, you shared about, in this case, being Japanese American was an asset working for the State.

KY: Working for this Agency of the State.

MN: This Agency of the State. Now, did being shorter affect how you were promoted at this job?

KY: I think it was not helpful, because one of the things that people judge you by is how you make your first impression. And they have in their mind's eye what a CPA should look like, tall, white, male, and young. And I struck out all three.

MN: Now, with the State also, is it my understanding you worked for the Regulatory Agency also?

KY: I worked for three different Regulatory Agencies.

MN: So when you had contact with the public, how did the general public treat you?

KY: Well, depending on who you're talking about, most of these people are licensed by the State. So when we go see them, they're looking at us as their Regulatory Agency, so they have to show us a certain amount of respect, whether it's sincere or not. Some people, especially attorneys, think they're better than a mere auditor, or some other accounting person would tell me, "Well, I'm a CPA." So I said, "Well, so am I. So what?" And then that pretty much shut them up.

MN: Now, you're working full time, and then you also mentioned you went to night school and got a Master's Degree.

KY: Yes.

MN: Why was it important for you to get a Master's Degree?

KY: Well, it looks good on your resume. And although I didn't need it where I was, I don't know when I may need it in the future.

MN: And then you're also teaching night school, and you were caring for your mother.

KY: Well, not really caring for her, I was just visiting her. She was in the hospital.

MN: When did your mother pass away?

KY: She died in 1976, in January.

MN: Now were both your parents, you mentioned earlier your father passed away in '58. Now, before they both passed away, were they able to become U.S. citizens?

KY: My mother went to school and became a U.S. citizen. My father did not.

MN: Did you celebrate your mother's citizenship when she got it?

KY: I don't think so. One of the benefits was that she went to school, and she learned enough English to pass the test. But she also learned enough English that she could read thank you notes that her grandchildren sent to her, and I think that gave her a big dose of pleasure. And when she got notes from her grandchildren and she couldn't understand what they meant, she would bring the note to me and I would translate. And I think that was one of the things that getting the membership -- excuse me -- citizenship helped her, because I don't think she would have gone to school otherwise. My mother was a typical Issei in that she was looking out for her children. And so we used to tell her, "Don't save money for us, spend it on yourselves." And so we finally brainwashed her to the point where she was giving money to her grandchildren instead of saving it for her kids. So that was good in that she became closer to her grandchildren, and I think that was a big morale booster for her later. I think she was closer to her grandchildren then they were to the paternal grandmother.

MN: As you got older, did you ever talk with your mother about camp?

KY: No. We were both in camp, so there was nothing to say.

MN: Have you ever returned to Gila River after the war?

KY: No, I do not contemplate doing so, because it would not bring back pleasant memories for me. I went to a couple of reunions, but I haven't been to one probably since 1992.

<End Segment 14> - Copyright © 2012 Densho. All Rights Reserved.