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TI: So let me back up a little bit. So after Pearl Harbor you stayed at Oregon State until (the end of March).

MM: March, end of March.

TI: End of March, and then you then went back to Hood River. When you went to Hood River, what was the community like at that point? At that point they kind of knew they were going to leave.

MM: Oh, everybody was in an uproar trying to, wondering what to do, have somebody take care of their farm. We had a lucky Caucasian family that lived (up the road), he used to be our milkman (delivered) our milk from his (dairy). He just lived about a mile up the road, and he took over the farm for us. But he took over the farm, but he let the chicken run around in our house. [Laughs] Had some people, farmers stay, some helpers stay. And oh, they had to clean up when they came back.

TI: But other than cleaning up, was the house and the property in pretty good shape? Like the orchards, did they take care of those?

MM: The orchard was pretty good.

TI: Well, that was, you were fortunate, because I knew some people...

MM: But my dad let him have any profit, and it was good during the war, he could take it. Just take care of it. He was a good friend.

TI: And so your father trusted him.

MM: Yes.

TI: And it worked out for him, too, because he made good money doing that. And when your family came back, was there any problem getting the property back?

MM: No, no problem, except they had to clean up the house. Except they couldn't get paint in Hood River, you know, they were so bad. So Chop, (my older sister's husband), had to go to Portland to get paint to paint the rooms (...).

TI: And going back to that milkman, do you remember the milkman's name?

MM: (Yes, Mr. Rory Collins).

TI: I'm just curious, because I always like to mention people who treated the Japanese families well, and so I was curious.

MM: The people we knew, the Caucasians in Dee, they were... my folks said they were fine when they came back. But in the city, more the city people...

TI: Going back, at Oregon State, your sister was there.

MM: Mikie?

TI: Well, no. When December 7th happened, wasn't Lena there?

MM: Lena, yes, she was there.

TI: And so did she stay at Oregon State or did she go back?

MM: She went back to Hood River, and then I can't remember... it was a couple of years ago they had a special ceremony where they gave a degree, they gave it to her. We went to the ceremony.

TI: For the people who...

MM: Who were there in classes when the war started. We met the, Dr. Ray, the president and everything, it was very nice, very beautiful service. It was in the stadium with the whole graduation, it was part of the graduation. They were very nice. Then my brother didn't get to go because of the war, you know. He (joined) the army.

<End Segment 15> - Copyright © 2014 Densho. All Rights Reserved.