<Begin Segment 19>

TI: And so tell me, what was it that had you leave Toronto?

MO: I left Toronto?

TI: Yeah, why?

MO: I had a job at Boeing.

TI: Tell me about that story. How did you get a job with Boeing?

MO: Well, we had an airplane in Avro, the jet airplane. It was even before Boeing had a flying airplane. So they were looking for engineers, and they sent out the... I was working with a lot of English engineers, and Boeing sent a, one of the chiefs down to interview all the engineers that worked for Avro, and I went for an interview with all these English friends of mine I made in (Avro). And I got a job.

TI: So Boeing made you a job offer after they interviewed you?

MO: Yeah.

TI: And back then, was it --

MO: Back then... all the English engineers that they also had an interview, they got hired. They got, after about three months, they were already leaving Avro and coming to Boeing. But I was Japanese, so it took me about a year before they gave me the visa.

TI: So this is the United States immigration taking longer to give you a visa?

MO: Yeah, I couldn't get into the States.

BY: So you're saying the English engineers got their visas before you got yours?

MO: Oh, yeah. They could get into the States right away, three months. I had to wait for a year before I could come down here.

TI: And were there moments when you thought you might not be able to get the job because it was taking so long?

MO: Yeah. Well, I didn't think... I already had a job offer from Boeing, but they were trying to get me down here, but the government didn't give me the visa 'til November. So I had to wait a whole year before I could come.

TI: And how was it for your wife? Was it easy for her, once you got her visa, for her to come?

MO: She didn't have any problems.

TI: As long as you had your visa.

[Interruption]

TI: Okay, so it took a whole year to get your visa, these English engineers only took three months. And is your sense was because you were Japanese or was it because you had some specific difficulties?

MO: No, I had Japanese, just because I'm Japanese, I think. Boeing was really pushing for me to come down here.

BY: Do you know, do you feel like they were investigating you, or was there some kind of a quota?

MO: Well, I don't know. I don't know, those days, they were letting Japanese come down.

TI: So back then, I mean... yeah, it was just racism or there's a fear of Communism and things like that.

MO: '57, so I don't know when it was... U.S. wasn't letting any foreigner into the Japanese...

TI: Well, they let English people in. [Laughs] So this is a little bit of a tangent, but I'm curious, so what kind of jet were you working on in Toronto? You said it was before Boeing, I'm just curious, was it like a smaller plane, jet, or how large a plane was it?

MO: Well, it was a plane like the 737. It was flying, we had a flying airplane.

TI: That's interesting. Because coming from Seattle, you always think of Boeing as being kind of the pioneer in jet aircraft, but you're saying in Canada they were ahead of...

MO: They were ahead of... yeah.

TI: So why didn't this company in Toronto, why didn't it become like a Boeing?

MO: They folded up right after I came here.

TI: Is it because Boeing took all their engineers?

MO: I don't know. After I moved out here, three months after I moved out here, A.V. Roe kind of quit.

TI: And was that one of the reasons why you wanted to leave? Because you felt the company wasn't very solid?

MO: I think it was because of the prime minister, Canadian minister. A.V. Roe was gone.

TI: Interesting. So you moved to Renton in 1957. When you go from Canada to Renton, Washington, which is in the United States, how different was the United States, then, from Canada?

MO: Same thing.

TI: Just felt the same?

MO: I didn't see any difference.

TI: Yeah, I was just curious how it is. And so it was a pretty easy transition for you.

MO: Yeah.

TI: And you're actually closer to your parents in Steveston.

MO: Yeah, well, that's one of the reasons I moved, because I'll be closer to home, you know.

TI: And so I'm curious at this point, how are your parents doing back in Steveston? They're now back there for, it looks like, you're 1957, so it's been seven or eight years, they're back there. How well has your dad and mom done back in Steveston?

MO: How were they doing?

TI: Yeah. Were they able to start fishing again? Did he, like, buy a new boat or house?

MO: Yeah, Dad has to buy a boat and build a house. So he was doing pretty good, fishing.

BY: He wasn't a young man anymore.

TI: No, no. It's pretty impressive that your father could start up again and do all that.

<End Segment 19> - Copyright © 2022 Densho. All Rights Reserved.