<Begin Segment 24>

MA: So are there any messages that you want to share with people who will be watching this interview and learning from your story?

CY: Send the kids to school. [Laughs] Yeah, so they all got their education and they're doing well. They're all doing well. And well, let's see...

MA: Any thoughts about the future of the Japanese American community here in Watsonville?

CY: Well, I hope they continue. I think our Buddhist temple is pretty good. I mean, we have enough members to keep it going. But like Westview, their membership has been down, so I think it's hard. But so every church, I think you lose membership because the kids go out of town to work, you know, 'cause there aren't, what do you call it, mostly farming jobs around here, and not too many, you know, good jobs where educated kids could go. But I think Watsonville temple is, is, so far, it seems to be good. 'Cause I think our temple is San Juan Bautista and Santa Cruz combined.

MA: And in general, have you noticed the Sansei generation sort of moving out of Watsonville?

CY: Yes. Yeah, there are quite a few Sansei with their children, but I noticed that church, Sunday schools is much smaller than when my kids were going. I guess there aren't that many around.

MA: So anything else you'd like to share?

CY: Well -- oh, I have two grandsons, and they're both lawyers. They just got their, one just got a law degree this, last year. The younger one wanted to go law after he graduated from UC Santa Cruz, but my older one, he went to Wesleyan college in Connecticut, and he wanted to work in New York, he did their work in New York, but you know, lawyer makes better money. [Laughs] He decided to go law school, so he just got his law degree last year and he worked one year under a judge. And that way he has a better chance of getting a good job. And he has a job already, so they're both working. So everything's okay now, waiting for my grandson to get married. [Laughs] They all had, they both had girlfriends that's law students too, so they're lawyers, too, so I have a house full of lawyers. [Laughs]

MA: Well, it sounds like a wonderful family.

CY: Yeah.

MA: Great. Well, thank you so much for doing this. I really appreciate it, it was a wonderful story.

CY: Oh, thank you.

MA: Thank you.

<End Segment 24> - Copyright ©2008 Densho and the Watsonville - Santa Cruz JACL. All Rights Reserved.