Densho Digital Archive - George Maeda Interview (denshovh-mgeorge

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KL: This is tape number three, we're just wrapping up an interview on October the 13th, 2014, with George Maeda. And I know you've been involved with a couple of speaking engagements and just other ways that you've told some of your recollections of Manzanar. And so I just wondered if you would tell us about some of those experiences where you shared with others what your life was like at Manzanar.

GM: Well, the first one I participated in was a golfing friend that I worked with. And every time we golfed, I'd tell him little bits of stories of my Manzanar experience. And unbeknownst to me, his wife was the vice principal of (...) Wilson High School, which is pretty large. And so she asked and she made arrangements that I speak there for the history class. Well, it turned out they closed the school, and the whole school showed up in the auditorium. But before that, I said, "I'll do one better, I'll bring my brother-in-law and he'll bring the camera that his (father) took pictures of." This is Archie. And some other person that's a speaker, so the three of us spoke. And I have a newspaper that I had in my briefcase that I threw out thinking that it had nothing to do with Manzanar. But that was my first speaking engagement, and it was surprisingly enjoyable. I mean, as much as I didn't talk about it to my sons, I talked about it to my friends and I was able to talk to a class. And I had been to various smaller groups, but I think three years ago or so, Alicia, I think she called... I forgot, something like that. There's a lady in East Redlands High School, a teacher, that takes her class annually to Manzanar and shows them around just for educational purposes. And she asked if there was anybody that can go to her school and speak. So Alicia emailed or called one day and asked if I would get a hold of her. Two or three years ago, I went to speak at her high school class, and shockingly, it just went over so well because people were really, really hungry for that information. So I went again last year, and it's one of my better speaking engagements, I mean, more enjoyable. This last one, I got a pamphlet full of letters from each student thanking me and the perseverance that I went through. And again, this letter was also part of the package that I removed thinking that it had nothing to do with Manzanar, but I treasure those letters. I'll probably get called again this year. But she takes the class up annually, and quite commendable that she's into this that deeply. She gets permission from the school to take the kids over and so forth.

KL: You mentioned also a couple, two students who were working on, maybe, a History Day project? Could you share that story?

GM: Oh, again, I don't know where this connection came from. But there was a Latin American student and an African American student got together on their project for this history contest (involving) the internment, and they turned this into a poem presentation. It was done so professionally, and they won the district, and they wanted to go all the way to the nationals, and the one I participated in was the state, and I think they came in second or something. It was pretty close. But he came over and interviewed me and asked me some questions. The fact that they just chose the subject impressed me, and I was more than wanting to help. But they sent me a website with that story.