<Begin Segment 23>

TI: So let's go back in terms of, I just want to do a little bit of family life. So I mentioned Grace, who was Grace and tell me how you met her, her name and where did you meet?

RK: I met her through a good friend of mine. His wife knew Grace, so they kind of introduced me. Actually, they wanted me to take Grace and her roommate to a party. So I said okay, I'll take 'em. If they meet somebody, that's fine.

TI: And they were both single women.

RK: Yeah, if they don't meet anybody, I'll bring them home, make sure they get home.

TI: But in hindsight, were they setting you up with one of them?

RK: Well, that was the plan.

TI: Okay. This is your buddy.

RK: Yeah. I mean, I knew Donald from the time we were in Cub Scouts all the way through Boy Scouts, we went into the army at the same time. He wasn't in the unit that I was, but that's the way it started. I was actually supposed to... they wanted me to meet Grace's roommate.

TI: So they thought that was going to be the match.

RK: Yeah, but then I went out with this one.

TI: [Laughs] So how did, so this is, at that time her maiden name was Kagehara?

DK: Kawahara.

TI: Kawahara, okay, Kawahara.

RK: Yeah, Kawahara.

TI: Okay, I'm sorry, Kawahara.

RK: [Addressing videographer] Your family.

TI: Kawahara. And he's mentioning Dana Hoshide, they're related. So Grace Kawahara. Now, what was Grace's relationship to your friend? It was like she was friends with his wife?

RK: Well, Grace's friend and Janey were roommates. They were both going to Sac State at the time. Janey knew Marian, my buddy's girlfriend, because they both came from Stockton. So it was like, okay, we want you to meet.

TI: So you were kind of the big city boy then?

RK: Yeah, you might say that. So that's the way it was supposed to be, supposed to go, they wanted me to meet Janey.

TI: But instead, you were attracted to Grace. Tell me a little bit about Grace. Where did she grow up?

RK: She grew up in Walnut Grove.

TI: Okay, so that's a pretty small town.

RK: Yeah, it still is.

TI: Small town, but fairly solid Japanese community, because they have a Buddhist temple.

RK: Right. So yeah, she grew up there, went to Sac State, graduated from there, and then, yeah, we got married after that. Because she wanted to graduate, get her teaching credential, get her student teaching done and find a job. Well, we did everything except she couldn't find a job right away.

TI: Find a job where?

RK: She couldn't find a job right away, a teaching job.

TI: I see. And this would be kind of, again, early '70s?

RK: Yeah, early '70s.

TI: So I'm curious, because you grew up in the city, and she's not from the city, where do you take her on a date in the city?

RK: Well, normally, most of the time on weekends, I would drive up to Sacramento.

TI: But when she did come to the city, where would you take her?

RK: I forgot where we used to go. It's a long time ago. I mean, there really wasn't a lot of time, because she would only be here for, like, a day and a half, come down Saturday and then leave on Sunday. So we would go to friends' houses, stuff like that, the inner circle, you might say.

TI: Like places in Nihonmachi? Would there be interesting places for her?

RK: Yeah, we'd go there a couple of times.

TI: And then probably the beach or something?

RK: Well, at the beach, there was nothing there, because everything closed down by the '70s. There was hardly anything there.

<End Segment 23> - Copyright © 2024 Densho. All Rights Reserved.