<Begin Segment 19>

RP: What do you remember about your block, Block 32? Any features that stick out in your mind? Gardens or recreation?

MS:Not, not particularly. The... we didn't have... I don't know whether any of the blocks... I'm sure that some of the blocks really developed a cohesiveness of a sort because they shared a lot. And I think our group wasn't really part of that. I remember taking piano lessons, and George was almost an architect. [Laughs] Architects had to have seven years of internship or training within the company or... and he had of course finished all of his work. He was in his seventh year when he was evacuated so he didn't get his architect's, wasn't able to take the boards or whatever they were, the tests. And was never able to finish because California and New York, at that time, did not have reciprocity. So they wouldn't accept his, he would have had to start over again this full seven years of... so he ended up as a, as an architectural designer. So he did mostly, worked in an architectural firm, but didn't... but anyway, and then his friends, there was a chemist and, oh, some more architects, and [Laughs] let's see. So it's like the head of the guayule plant was a chemist and the, so we didn't do too much in terms of any block activity, but...

RP: What did George do in camp? Did he work?

MS: Did George work?

RP: George?

MS:Yes he, let's see, what did he... he kind of organized, I think, a lot of activities. He was active in, even in terms of guayule again and not specifically, you know. Oh, and then the bee project. I think he got my father involved in that, since my father had already done bees. And, let's see, what else did he do? He was fairly active. He was very... he was a very distinct individual. [Laughs]

RP: In what way?

MS: Oh, dear. Oh, who was the person, there was a person who worked down in the Free Press that... I think she dared him to wear the shorts. So, so he wore shorts around camp and of course that was not done. But unfortunately, they didn't have a pattern for outer shorts. I think he'd have... I'm not sure, but someone told me later. But he did have very interesting, and rather unusual sense of, in his quiet way, just being able to do whatever and be whatever. He was himself.

RP: Now you were, you knew George...

MS: I knew George before. Yeah, of course we were --

RP: Did you date in camp here?

MS: Well, well, since we lived, you know, in the same... it wasn't a real dating, but we certainly were together a lot. Yeah, with the friends and... well, and then eventually we got married a few years later in New York, so I went out.

<End Segment 19> - Copyright © 2009 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.