Densho Digital Repository - Ron Kenmotsu Interview (Densho ID: ddr-densho-546-24)

<Begin Segment 24>

TI: Okay. Well, so the two of you got married, I have, in 1971? And where did you get married?

RK: Sacramento. The Sacramento Buddhist Temple. Because the Walnut Grove Temple was too small, so she wanted to get married there, so I think that's fine. It was fine with me.

TI: And then after you got married, where did you live?

RK: San Bruno, which was just south of San Francisco, right across from the airport, actually. And then from there, we moved to Foster City, we bought the home in Foster City.

TI: And then you had, you said, two children?

RK: Yeah.

TI: And why don't you tell me the names of your children?

RK: I'm sorry?

TI: I'm sorry, tell me the names of your children.

RK: Oh, Curtis, Derek.

TI: And Derek we have in the room with us.

RK: Curtis's Japanese name is an offshoot of mine, and Derek is named after his great-grandfather. No... yeah.

TI: So I'm going to come back to another thread that you talked about now that we've established your family. You mentioned earlier that during the military, when you did the official adoption, you told your army buddies about being adopted. But after that, did you tell anyone else that you were adopted? Like your work friends or even your family? Did you tell your family you were adopted?

RK: No.

TI: So why, I'm curious, why didn't you tell your family?

RK: Well, as far as my work buddies, work friends, to me, it was "none of your business."

TI: But how about Grace, your wife? Was that something that you ever thought...

RK: I never had a chance. And that's not something that I'm proud of.

TI: And why is that? Is that something you felt you were hiding from her, or you just didn't think it was important?

RK: Well, to me, it started off with, "You're hiding something from me," meaning my parents and the Ota family. You could have told me before, instead of waiting until I'm eighteen. And I never really said anything to Curtis and Derek, because that's not something I'm really proud of. I didn't want to go back and remember. I tried to forget all about that, that's why I never said anything to them.