<Begin Segment 36>

KL: When did you... you're married, your husband is also part of the Manzanar oral history project.

AO: Yeah.

KL: When did you, how did you meet him?

AO: I met him in... was it Christmas of '52.

KL: Christmas?

AO: Yes. We were getting, at church, I was attending a Methodist church then, and we were preparing for the Christmas program. And they decided to do this play. And because I spoke some Japanese, I took the part of the mother who had a few Japanese lines. And then there was a part for one Caucasian, Mr. Smith, I forget what his name was. And they said, "Oh, Art Okuno's coming back to San Francisco. He'd be good at that." So everybody's waiting for Art, and all the girls are saying, "Oh, Art's coming." And I thought, "Who is this?" And I thought about that, for goodness sakes. [Laughs] Wouldn't give him a second look. But half year later we're dating.

KL: He must have liked you.

AO: I guess so. [Laughs] He says he joined the choir because I was in it. He has a nice voice, too.

KL: Was that what changed your thinking toward him?

AO: No, it's just... actually when he -- well, I'm telling everybody, aren't I?

KL: Yeah, you can tell us later if you want to. So you know him in choir? Is that how you, how did you get to know him?

AO: Yeah, and at church, and everybody does things together, got to know him. it was really... yeah, he grows on you. [Laughs]

KL: And you said it was a year and a half later you were married?

AO: I guess, let's see, 'cause we were married in '54.

KL: Oh, what was the play that you were in together? Was it something someone had written, original?

AO: Yes. It's... oh, lordy. Oh, my goodness, isn't that terrible?

KL: It's okay, I just was curious if it was published or whatever. Was he good as Mr. Smith?

AO: Well, it was only just a one-liner type of thing.

KL: What is the church that you went to?

AO: Pine Methodist Church. It was located on Pine at the time. It's now on Thirty-third Avenue or something. But they still called it Pine.

<End Segment 36> - Copyright © 2013 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.