<Begin Segment 13>

JD: Can we talk a little bit more about life on the island during the war, and in particular, what do you know about what life was like for Felix Narte taking care of the farm and working and all the stuff he had to take...

FK: Well, you know, I did, my son Derek did do a taped interview with him with, on audio and he... I think, I think during the wartime period he, he said there were a lot of people living in the house, for one thing. And, but I think he was a pretty focused guy as far as... he became an electrician at the shipyard without any training, just kind of apprenticeship training. And, and I know every job he's had, he's almost always ended up being a foreman. Even in Alaska and even in Hawaii working in the pineapple fields, I think he ended up being a foreman at a real young age and in Alaska he was a foreman. So he just, he just had some real smarts about him that, that he knew what he was doing. So I think he was a very exceptional person.

JD: Sounds like a quality that both of your parents had, too.

FK: Could be. Maybe that's why they liked each other, huh? [Laughs] Could be, yeah.

JD: So he made a trip to visit your family in Minidoka?

FK: Yeah. He must have, 'cause I know he's in that picture. So, and I don't know of any stories of that, of him coming, other than him being in that picture. But I've just heard the one about his cousin Elaulio that came over. So, yeah...

JD: Why was it important for your family to have a formal portrait taken with him in it?

FK: You know, I don't know. I assume... I assume it would have been my father's decision. And... 'cause I'm sure he was making all the decisions as far as when he was there, so... but, he must have thought it was important enough for us to go do that in Twin Falls.

JD: How did Felix get there? It must have been a pretty difficult trip.

FK: I assume they drove. I mean, even now it's pretty hard to fly into Twin Falls, so I assume they drove there. And I must have... it would have taken, shoot, I'm sure it would have taken about a good fifteen, sixteen hours to get there in those days. They don't have that seventy-five miles-per-hour freeway that they have now, so... I'm sure it would have been a big trip.

<End Segment 13> - Copyright © 2007 Densho. All Rights Reserved.