<Begin Segment 17>

RP: Tom, did you get involved in some of the community organizations here during the time that you were reestablishing yourself? Buddhist church?

TI: Buddhist church is the only thing I got, got into after I retired. That's about all I did.

RP: What did you do for them?

TI: I became president for four years, and that was a pretty tough job at that time. But I helped up there mainly.

RP: And what about the Sawtelle Institute? Your dad helped establish that before the war.

TI: Oh, yeah, before the war.

RP: Uh-huh. And did it, just kind of resurrected it when people came back from the camps?

TI: When people come back, they're mostly new people here, that weren't from west L.A. before.

RP: Never been here.

TI: Well, maybe a couple of 'em, but it was mainly outsiders were coming in. In fact, the old people were all dead and gone, 'cause that's a long time ago. You know, it's almost at a point where I'm almost the oldest one around here.

RP: I do know a couple of more, a couple of other people, I think they still live in this area, that attended Uni High and are still, they're in their high eighties.

TI: Yeah, I guess there are.

RP: A few people.

TI: But I went to, my first school I went to was up here, up the street on Sawtelle Boulevard, it was Sawtelle grammar school, which changed, their name changed later on to Nora Sterry. And then from Nora Sterry, I went to University High, which was a junior high and high school. But it was called Warren G. Harding at that time. And so when I got up there and started in the seventh grade, it changed to Uni High, University High. Because UCLA was just built, and so they copied that name and became University High School. Boy, that's a long time ago.

RP: How many kids did you guys have? Two or three?

TI: Three.

RP: Three kids?

TI: Two sons and a daughter.

RP: They live in this area?

TI: Yeah, two of 'em live pretty closely here. Maybe three or four miles away, but one of 'em lives over in Malibu, towards the valley, through the Malibu Tunnel. He used to be one of the professors out at Pierce College, so it was closer for him to live out there. He's retired.

RP: So have you shared your camp experience with them, your World War II experiences?

TI: Oh, yeah. But not as much as I ought to. Well, I guess they heard enough, maybe.

RP: Do you recall your, your feelings or reactions to the letter of apology and the reparations check that was sent out to the surviving members of the camps?

TI: Well, the check actually would buy you a good used car, you know. In fact, that's what it did.

RP: Did it?

TI: Yeah. But I don't know, it's too bad that this ever had to happen, because my dad lost everything. He lost his home, most of his money, and when he passed away, why, I was by his bedside, and he was apologizing to me for not being able to leave me any money. And I said, "Well, don't worry about that." He did enough for me anyway. So that was about the size of that.

RP: Thank you very much, Tom, on behalf of Kirk and myself and the National Park Service. I really appreciate your stories and memories. Some great stories.

TI: Well, thank you.

<End Segment 17> - Copyright © 2008 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.