<Begin Segment 16>

MN: When you were in Manzanar, did your father ever talk about wanting to return to Japan?

SO: Yeah. In fact, when the "loyalty oath" came out he wanted to take us back to Japan. But I remember heated discussions with, between my father and brother, and my brother was determined to go to college here, so only at the intervention of our next door neighbor did my father allow my brother to go. He would've gone anyway, you know. But my neighbor, in fact, he's, I don't know whether you've ever heard of Kango Takamura?

MN: Who's Kango Takamura?

SO: Kango Takamura was a studio artist that, he taught sumi-e in the camp, and I wish I had taken advantage of that. [Laughs]

MN: You were talking about your brother. What was your brother doing in camp?

SO: My brother, I think he was, he tutored, but he only stayed in camp for maybe six months, then he went out on a work furlough, and from there he went to New York and got into the University of Syracuse.

MN: Now, how about yourself? You started Manzanar High School in the fall. Where was the high school located?

SO: The high school was in Block 7.

MN: So you had quite a walk, from Block 35 to Block 7.

SO: Yeah.

MN: Now, during lunchtime which mess hall did you go and eat at?

SO: Well, whichever mess hall was convenient. But generally we'd come back to our mess hall. They had pretty good food because our chef was formerly a bakery chef, so we always had good desserts.

MN: I thought sugar was rationed at the time.

SO: We were able to get sugar.

MN: So tell me about the high school. What was it like in the beginning?

SO: Well, in the beginning we didn't have any furniture. We used to sit on the floor. In fact, our chemistry class was held in the laundry room. The guys would sit in the tubs. But the school wasn't very well supplied at the very beginning, then later desks and blackboards and stuff came in.

MN: Who were your teachers? Were they Caucasians?

SO: Yeah, primarily most of them were Caucasians, but I remember our science teachers were both young Japanese. Inouye and Nakagawa or Nakashima. I remember the coach was, physical ed coach, was Japanese. His name was Higa, was from Hawaii.

MN: And probably Okinawan.

SO: Maybe so.

MN: Higa.

SO: Well, with the name Higa, yeah.

MN: Now, how would you compare the education you got at Manzanar High School to what you were getting at Venice High School?

SO: Well, I guess the education at Manzanar was adequate. I mean, they weren't the best teachers, but they were, they must've been dedicated to have come to Manzanar just to teach a bunch of Japanese kids.

MN: Now, before the war your, you moved around so much that I imagine it'd be hard to make friends, and now you're in this camp situation. Was it really hard for you to make friends early on, and then when you went into Manzanar?

SO: No. I've always, it was easy for me to make friends, but lasting friendships, because of the short time of acquaintance, was very difficult. But I think my lasting friends were the kids that I knew in Manzanar, because like I say, that, other than Sacramento, that was the longest stay of any one place. But even then it was only, what... couple of years.

MN: So what year did you graduate from Manzanar High?

SO: I graduated in 1944.

MN: What was your graduation ceremony like?

SO: Well, we were the first graduating class from the new, well, the auditorium that was built, and we had commencement ceremonies, got up on stage. Just like a regular high school.

MN: So you got a cap and gown?

SO: Yeah, we had cap and gowns.

MN: Did your father come to the ceremony?

SO: That I don't remember. He may have. I don't know.

[Interruption]

MN: You, did the ceremony have a commencement speaker?

SO: Well, the only one I remember speaking was, he claims he wasn't a valedictorian, but he did give a speech, and that was Arnold Maeda. But other than him I don't remember anybody else speaking.

MN: But you and Arnold are in the same class.

SO: Yeah. You know Arnold?

MN: He's the brother of Brian Maeda.

SO: Yeah.

MN: So after you graduated from Manzanar High you applied to college. What prompted you to pursue a college education?

SO: Well, I think my brother sets a precedent, so you want to follow in his footsteps, right? Then there was a teacher, my English teacher, Mrs. Umhey, who encouraged me to go to college, and I think she handled all the arrangements, and I enrolled at Morningside College.

MN: How did your father feel about you going to college?

SO: Well, being that my brother had gone to college, I guess he, it was a foregone conclusion with him that I'd be going.

<End Segment 16> - Copyright © 2011 Densho. All Rights Reserved.