Densho Digital Archive
Densho Visual History Collection
Title: Yone Bartholomew Interview II
Narrator: Yone Bartholomew
Interviewer: Tracy Lai
Location: Seattle, Washington
Date: May 8, 1998
Densho ID: denshovh-byone-02-0037

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YB: But I was fortunate, I... my nephew through marriage and his wife happened to pull up, and I called the minister and he came. And, I don't know if you know Art Susumu? He's the one that's in charge of the Japanese department over at Butterworth, and Clarence was the one that got him in there after he came out of the army. [Ed. note: Butterworth-Manning-Ashmore Funeral Directors is a Seattle-area funeral home.] He had, his mother was living, dad was gone, and mother had a whole big family to take care of and raise; and Art was the oldest one. And he says, "Clarence, my mom is alone and we've got a bunch, big family. I gotta' help her to raise the kids and support them. I got to find a job." And right after that, jobs were hard to find, and Clarence says, "Well, I'll see what I can find for you." So he went to Kal over at Butterworth, the oldest brother of the Butterworths, which was a very good friend of his that went into the army and Clarence couldn't. He came out of the army with his bad heart, all in one piece, remarried, and died on his honeymoon. But before then, he told Kal, "I have a young soldier just out of the army, a real nice kid that has a family he has to support, and he needs a job so bad. Do you suppose you could get him a job?" "Sure. Send him over." He liked Art so well he sent him to the mortician school in Chicago, and he came out a full-fledged mortician. And he's partners, he has a share in on at Butterworth, they liked him so well. He took care of all the Japanese funerals, and he took care of Clarence's for me, and Clarence was the one that really got him in. And maybe he might have been one of 'em that went into the army too, at the time when they were volunteering. And it was quite a heartbreaking moment 'cause the parents didn't want them to go, and they wanted to go. They said to Clarence, "What are we to do?" They said, "It's up to you. If you feel that's you, it's your duty at this time, it may hurt your parents, but they'll be mighty proud when you come back." And they were. Some were Gold Star mothers. Others were proud of the ones that did come out and won honors. And so Clarence said, "See, the parents are completely changed. Their whole attitude is changed.

<End Segment 37> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.