<Begin Segment 39>

KL: When did you have your children?

AO: Let's see, I was married in '54, the first one was born in '59.

KL: Was that still in San Francisco?

AO: Yeah. Or no, after we came here.

KL: Why did you decide to come here?

AO: Well, my... Art was working at NASA, Ames Research Center, and he was commuting. It was forty miles every day. So then we looked for a place, and we were looking at a, what is it, development, and we actually had picked a house when Art's co-worker said, "Let me introduce you to this friend who was an architect and a builder. And so we met Mr. Hirschback, and Mr. Hirschback found this property, and we were able to buy the property and he built the house for us.

KL: Did you love it immediately here?

AO: Oh, yeah, yeah. I mean, just answer to prayers.

KL: What did you like about it?

AO: That it was in the country. It wasn't right next to another house, and with the hill, it was nice.

KL: I feel sad for anyone who watches this tape that they haven't seen this place. Would you tell us your favorite spot in your property, or do you have one?

AO: Oh, not... I wouldn't say a favorite spot, just like looking out the window and seeing the hills down below. But also used to be that there were no houses above us. And I'd look out of my kitchen window and feel like there's nobody else in this world here right now but me. And the neighbors were very nice.

KL: Who were the neighbors?

AO: Right down there were... oh, lordy, these names keep... it was a young couple who the wife's brother, they were raising the wife's brother, and then they had children of their own. But she was... oh, before they bought that house -- that's right. Mr. Roseborough owned, Mr. and Mrs. Roseborough had owned the whole property, and they were in a bit of a bind and so they needed to sell off this when Bob Hirschbach heard about it, because he knew the Roseborough, and he got us to see it and we bought it from him. And they were nice and friendly people, too, and very caring. And then they were sold to a couple, I can't remember their names.

KL: When you came back to California, were there times in the '50s, after moving up here, when you continued to experience prejudice?

AO: Personally, no, although I was, kept my fears out there. And anytime I went into a new situation like first time going to church, strange church, just being quiet and seeing, but we were welcomed usually always. And I didn't find any problems. There may have been, you know, but I wasn't aware of it, and so never had contact with the person. I'm not a... I don't think I'm unfriendly, but I'm not, I'm a bit on the shy side.

KL: So you're an observer anyway?

AO: Yeah, I tend to.

<End Segment 39> - Copyright © 2013 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.