Densho Digital Repository - Nick Nagatani Interview I

Densho Digital Repository
Densho Visual History Collection
Title: Nick Nagatani Interview I
Narrator: Nick Nagatani
Interviewer: Brian Niiya
Location: Culver City, California
Date: May 9, 2023
Densho ID: ddr-densho-1000-535-4

<Begin Segment 4>

BN: And then do you have memories -- I know you left when you left when you were fairly young -- but do you have memories of Chicago as a young child?

NN: Yes. I remember it was cold, I remember the snow, I remember going to school for the first time. I somewhat remember having cousins, I remember the location where we lived and basically all my memories consisted of, like, my family unit, and I say that because where we lived was in an industrial area. There were some railroad tracks, I guess some industrial buildings around there, and there was a radio station, and I forget the initials, but it was a Polish music station. Because I think there was a lot of Polish people living in Chicago, and this radio station was owned by a Congressman named Congressman Hoffman, and maybe he put some feelers out, or like an ad that he's looking for, some custodians to maintain his radio station. And this is where I grew up, the first five years, I think. It basically was like, it was a pretty big radio station, and we had this back area room, and I guess it must have been furnished, it had a toilet and a kitchen area and a living room. I think we had a bunkbed for me and my brother, Patrick. There were no other kids around. There were no other kids around during the day because it was like a radio station. We really couldn't get out of the room because they were doing a good job. So I guess me and my brother would just be in this room playing whatever, and when evening came, that my parents would buff the floor, they would take out, take out all the trash and do what they needed to do to do their maintenance work. But that way they were able to save up money, so eventually we could move back to California. I think that may have been their plan all along, I'm not sure.

BN: Could you actually hear the radio broadcasting?

NN: No. I guess they had these rooms, soundproof.

BN: Do you remember the address?

NN: It was on Kedzie, Kedzie Avenue, and when I went back to Chicago years ago, I went back to the radio station just to jog my memory. And today, it's a soul station called WVON.

BN: Still a radio station.

NN: Yeah, yeah, more R&B now.