<Begin Segment 26>

KL: So my, this is my last question, and then if there are other things you want to share that I did not ask about you can. But you said that your, like in the 1960s, as your kids were growing up, you did not want to talk about Manzanar, and now you've been nice enough to give us --

MN: Not that we didn't want to talk about it, but I'm just, I guess the kids never asked, and we never volunteered to talk about it. I was not the only family. Everybody else, they said, "Oh, my parents talk about camp life." A lot of people, I guess, didn't like to talk about it.

KL: Why do you think that is?

MN: I don't know. It's all in, they think it's all in the past, so we live for the future and we live for now, not for the camp life.

KL: If someone does watch this tape in a hundred years, what would you like them to know about your life?

MN: I don't know, I have a pretty good life because, like I said, I became a Christian fifty years ago. So everything I do is, I thank for God. I'm very thankful He looks after me and I have a nice family. My husband passed away early, but...

KL: Do you have grandchildren?

MN: I have two, only two grandchildren. One is a M.D. at the Santa Monica Hospital, and one in Manhattan Beach, she has four children, so she doesn't work. But I have six great-grandchildren. Their pictures are over here. They're my pride and joy. We see each other every weekend, except last weekend they were in Las Vegas. I didn't go. So I'm very happy with my family. This one is my younger granddaughter's kids, and all the granddaughter's kids are over here. That's my six great-grandchildren, my daughter-in-law, my granddaughter. He's a doctor in Santa Monica, her husband. And my son Aaron, and Mia, the younger granddaughter and her husband, they live in Manhattan Beach. So we get together every weekend, so I'm very happy.

KL: Well, are there things that you thought that we would talk about today that I didn't ask? Is there anything else you want to record?

MN: No, I don't think so. I guess we covered everything. I didn't know it was so long. I thought maybe you were just going to come and talk a few minutes, so I, my friend asked me what, "I'll be there in three, I'll be there about three o'clock. You think it's okay?" I said, "Oh yeah, I'm sure everything's finished by noontime."

KL: The longest one that we have ever done was nine hours.

MN: Wow.

KL: Yeah, but that was over two days. Whitney was part of that. But often, I mean, you just have, you've seen a lot, and we really appreciate your sharing that with us because it just, it's really remarkable to be able to share with visitors what, one person's story. And I don't know that people, people understand how powerful that can be. I've talked to people, visitors at Manzanar sometimes, and they've, one person said, "Everyone you've told us about, their life could be a movie." It's just really powerful to get to hear those stories, so I'm very glad that you said that this would be okay for us to come and interview you.

MN: I hope I said the right thing.

KL: Everybody's story is different. That's part of why it's, we think it's important to talk to as many people as we can. And I know Grace and Keiko and Rose will be happy too, 'cause they all said, "Oh, you should definitely talk to her."

MN: Yeah, I know Keiko from, we all know each other from the church. And Grace is, what's her last name?

KL: Seto.

MN: Huh?

KL: Seto.

MN: Seto. Her mother and I were good friends. Her mother passed away, she was eighty-something, but we used to belong to the same club in church, so I know her.

KL: Grace likes to travel too, I know.

MN: And Dr. Seto too. And Grace's younger sister, Eleanor -- you know her?

KL: Yes.

MN: Eleanor and then Aaron Akano. And they have another sister, Caroline. I don't know her, but I know, my friend told me she has three daughters and one son.

KL: Did you know her from the church?

MN: Yes, from church. But she passed away, I guess more than ten years ago, maybe around ten years ago.

<End Segment 26> - Copyright © 2014 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.