Densho Digital Archive - Mary Jean Spallino Interview (denshovh-smary

<Begin Segment 17>

KL: Yeah, when you guys were talking about the riot which happened in December of 1942, I wondered if you were still living in Block 7 or if you had already moved.

MS: No, as I remember, I was there, because I heard about it that night. So I think it had to be early in the year.

KL: In 1943?

MS: Yeah.

KL: While you were talking about the auditorium, it made me wonder what your memories are of high school graduations at Manzanar.

MS: I don't have a lot of memory of that.

KL: Do you remember a memorial service for President Roosevelt?

MS: No. But if they had one, I must have gone to it, but I don't remember it.

KL: Yeah, there was one in that auditorium.

MS: Well, I'm sure I went to it. I would have gone, but I have no recollection of that.

KL: Oh, so I'll just kind of go backwards. You mentioned going over to the Merritts' home for dinners on occasion. And I wondered if that was typical, if he made a practice of inviting the staff at all levels over to his home?

MS: You know, I really don't know. And I didn't go often, I just remember having been to his house several times, and his wife, she told us to call her Virginia, so we called her Virginia. But I imagine that he was very outgoing, so he would have invited other people, it wasn't just me he was inviting. I honestly don't remember how that came about.

RM: Do you remember his... he had a few assistant project directors, and one was named Lucy Adams. Did you ever meet her?

MS: The name is familiar, but I don't picture her.

RM: Okay, and I'll just mention a couple others and see if they ring a bell. Let me make sure I'm saying his name right, I think it's Edward Hooper?

MS: Oh, yeah, he was quite a character.

RM: Yeah?

MS: Oh, indeed.

RM: What was he like?

MS: Oh, he was kind of like an Ichabod Crane. I don't know why, he kind of reminded me of him. He was kind of a strange man. I liked him, and I think he liked me. He's the kind that he'd like you or he didn't like you, but I do remember him. He wore, had glasses, and it's funny, I hadn't thought about him for a long time, but I can't tell you any more about that.

RM: Did you ever meet his wife?

MS: I didn't even know, I don't even remember that he was married. I don't think he was, but he could have been. Does it say he was?

RM: I don't remember. I'm pretty sure he was married, but I don't remember when he got married.

MS: I don't think he was married while he was there.

RM: And then there was one other guy who was an assistant project director later, and his name was Bob Brown.

MS: I don't know him.

RM: Okay, I just wanted to --

MS: You don't have anybody by the name, a husband and wife by the name of Campbell?

RM: We might, I don't have a list here.

MS: Yeah, they were very nice and they were very good to me, I really liked them.

RM: I'm gonna look that up for you. You said you thought his name was Alan?

MS: I think it was Alan, I can't think of her name, Campbell. And they were from... a funny name in the south. Not funny funny, but different. I liked them so much, but I lost contact. And they stayed on, they helped close the camp.

RM: So I want to ask you about Independence, but I know Kristen had questions and I jumped in on her questions.

KL: I won't ask about Independence, but that was really good. Were the Campbells from Southern California?

MS: No, they were from the South.

KL: Like Missouri or Mississippi?

MS: What, hon?

KL: Like Missouri or Alabama?

MS: They were from... yes, and probably the middle of the night it will come to me. A funny little name of... it wasn't from Mississippi, maybe they were from, like, Oklahoma or someplace like that.

KL: There are lots of funny names, I've lived in that part of the country.

MS: Oh, you have? Yeah, I love 'em. I love some of those names. But they were so nice to me.

KL: You were going to talk a little bit more about the library system in Manzanar. What are your memories of the library in Manzanar?

MS: It was very well run, but other than that, I don't know. Ruth Budd did a good job.

KL: Did you use it in your classes ever or use it for assignments?

MS: No.

KL: Tell us more about Ruth Budd.

MS: I can't tell you very much, she was a quiet, kind of a studious sort of person. And rather plain-looking, a really nice girl, moved to Oroville and she married there, and I imagine her family is still there. That's all I know about her. But it was interesting because she had a friend who lived down here in Orange County, an older woman, friend of the family. And when I left Manzanar, I went back to Hollywood for a while, and then I came down and worked for the Red Cross at the air base here. And this friend of Ruth Budd's lived in Santa Ana. And she put me in contact with the family, I lived with the family down here. So I can't remember the name of the woman that Ruth Budd put me in contact with, but when you say Ruth Budd, that's where my mind goes. And she made the contact for me down to have a place to stay when I moved to Santa Ana. But I lost all touch with her.