<Begin Segment 22>

RP: This is tape three of a continuing interview with Fumi Hayashi, and Fumi, we were just bringing up the topic of Fred Tayama, and Fred actually ended up working in the flower business, or running a business in the same area.

FH: In the orchid and cymbidium... is it cymbidium? Yeah, he was working in L.A. and he came down here, I think, because this was at one time the flower capital. That's what it was called. And he bought land and he grew orchids here, and my husband and he had renewed friendship, but he, I think he lived in L.A. most of the time. He just worked out of here and, and for that reason his daughter, Tammy, decided that she and her husband could do this, so they came down and they ran the business here. And Tammy has passed on, it must be three, four years ago, maybe longer. But her husband Joe is running it, and at one time my husband did work for Tammy. Tammy asked my husband if she would, he would help with the growing because Tammy's husband Joe's father and mother lived there, and my husband helped them with the roses and... but they have been gone for a while and they're not doing any roses. And I think Tammy's son-in-aw is now running the place.

RP: So your husband later on had a relationship with Fred Tayama?

FH: That was after Fred passed away.

RP: Oh, so after Fred passed away.

FH: Yeah, Fred had passed on and Tammy... Tammy was in control of the business, well, she and her husband, Joe. And that's when my husband, he hired... when my husband retired we sold, we sold our ranch and we retired, and said, "Why don't you come and work for me? We could use a man like you." So she went, he went to work for... actually, I went to work. That's why he went to work. 'Cause I got bored being retired.

RP: So did you, did you ever meet Fred Tayama and have any conversations with him?

FH: My husband did, but I didn't. And then I got to know his wife, Chiyo, after he passed on. She used to have, she used to come over quite often.

<End Segment 22> - Copyright © 2009 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.