Densho Digital Archive - Steve Hiromoto Interview (denshovh-hsteve-01-0002)

<Begin Segment 2>

[Walking towards building]

SH: I'm a fourth generation member of this community. My great grandfather came in, began farming in this area, and my grandfather and father continued that and I did as well. I farmed with our organization for about thirty-three years before we finally retired the operation. But I still live in the Clarksburg area, I still have farmland here, so my ties are still pretty strong here. When I grew up I was actually right across the street, and so I pretty much knew what was going on here at the building most of the time, and also my folks and grandparents were very active with the community events that went on here as well. As far as myself, in probably the mid-'50s, 1956 or so, some of the community members decided that the kids need to learn Japanese language, and so they were able to get a teacher, and there was probably about twenty-five, thirty students here ranging from, oh, maybe kindergarten, first grade up to high school level that met here every Saturday morning. Not that we wanted to, but we were forced to meet here. And some of it stuck, so I guess, for myself, it was a great introduction to Japanese language. I wish I could utilize it more and keep it up, but I'm still able to read some of it and understand some of it. So I really thank them for that effort.

DG: So where did the twenty-five or so kids who studied here, where did they come from?

SH: Okay. Some lived here --

Off camera: Start with "the students who came here."

SH: Okay. The students that attended the school probably with myself, probably came from about a... I'd say twenty-five mile radius of here. Some came from Sacramento, actually, West Sacramento, there were a few families here in Clarksburg, Courtland had a few. There may have been one or two families from Walnut Grove that came in as well, Merritt Island had several families, and they would come in there as well. And so we can go on inside, watch your step.