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Title: Norm Hayashi Interview
Narrator: Norm Hayashi
Interviewer: Virginia Yamada
Location: Emeryville, California
Date: March 12, 2019
Densho ID: ddr-densho-1000-468-9

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VY: Okay, so let's talk about how you decided to get in the nursery business. So when you were a kid, were you interested in continuing to work at the, did you work on the nursery as a kid?

NH: Yes. But the type of work we (kids) did was pulling weeds or making (boxes), dinking around. And we were able to just run around a lot, and I never even thought about entering the nursery. My way was channeled -- my parents didn't force me, but I was good in sciences and all that, and I thought I was going to be an engineer. It was just... without a choice. I don't recall even having a passion to be anything else, and I think in my days, there wasn't much options what kind of career you're going to do. And the changing point was my (mother's death at thirty-seven years old), I was at my freshman year at Cal, I entered Cal as a civil engineering major.

VY: Berkeley?

NH: My mother passed way, and I think I lost my compass. She was the only one interested in what I did at high school and everything. And (often) I just kind of didn't go to class in Cal, sometimes I would go to class. I don't know what I expected. And what happened was I flunked out in a year and a half, then I was kind of ashamed of myself, and the alternative was going back (home), and by then my mother had passed away. (Thought I would have to) go back and I have to go take care of the family, because I'm the oldest. And I was doing that when my mom was sick. She was sick all through my high school years, and the last two years, she was bedridden. So I would just do the laundry and (help with) the cooking and things. I never thought, I just did it. I just did it, and got the kids going. But then I went to Cal, and then the second semester, I lived off campus, I was, worked for a fraternity hashing, serving and washing dishes. (Ate fraternity food), and then I lived with a doctor, I'd rake up his leaves and everything like that. So I kind of separated from the family. But after my mom passed away, I kind of went downhill. Then I tried to join the Marines, and I got accepted, except they take you in the private room because you're a volunteer, "You have anything to say?" And I said, "Well, I have asthma." Well, the recruiter blew his top. [Laughs] He couldn't take me after that. And after that, I decided, god, what am I gonna do? I didn't want to go to work in a factory.

VY: So when was this? Around what year was this?

NH: '59, two years after graduating high school. So I headed to Los Angeles because my mom's mother lived there, and I lived with her a few months. And I went back (to school), I was working, I never had a problem finding outside work. And then...

VY: Did you, I'm sorry, did you know much about your mom's family before that? Did you see them there?

NH: No, we would visit once in a while. She was a widow, Grandmother was a widow at that time, tough gal, smoking and all that kind of thing. But that changed my life, I was very lucky. I had good friends, I met good friends. (With) one of the friends I went to junior (college), pulled up my grades and reentered L.A. State. And one of my (friends became my best friend even now). I had a good core of my age group, and then my hobby was free diving.

VY: Free diving?

NH: Yeah, diving without scuba, spear fishing and all that in L.A. I joined another group of guys, they were all married guys, maybe ten years older, so I had two groups there. One is for my regular activities, a young guy, and the other one is a little more mature thing. Set me on the right course, kind of. [Laughs]

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