<Begin Segment 7>

AL: Do you recall any of your emotions when you first went in there and saw the other kids? I mean, you've said that you and Celeste were on the couch crying. Do you remember why you were crying?

AS: Well, because we thought, we were Catholics and we wanted to go back to where the, to our Catholic roots and Miss Stuart, we didn't know she was Protestant, but she was Protestant and she went to a little community church and very active there. So we kind of grew up in the children's church up in, local church, it's still standing there, the community.

AL: And how did you become Catholic? Were you baptized as an infant?

AS: Oh, well we thought we were, no, we weren't baptized as Catholics, but because we went to a Catholic church once in a while or she did. She got a hold of some of rosary so I'm, I imagine it's probably from friends. But she wasn't really a Catholic, Celeste was not really a Catholic.

AL: Okay. So you, you were not necessarily part of Maryknoll in camp or you didn't have, did you have any of the interactions with the priests or the nuns or anything in camp?

AS: No. I thought at the interview by Renee that I thought I came from Maryknoll but it's, it wasn't. I came from the Shonien?

AL: Shonien.

AS: Yes, uh-huh.

AL: Right. And, I don't, from what I've read, Shonien was maybe, I don't know if it was non-denominational. But I think it was the man who founded it was Christian but I don't think, it wasn't like the Maryknoll home but it was a Catholic home for sure.

AS: No, uh-uh.

AL: Yeah. So, could you, could you tell us the story about Celeste and the rosary beads in, in a little more detail? 'Cause I know you talk about it in your other interview.

AS: Well, when we came and sat in the front room on the couch and we were crying and Celeste says, "I'm a Catholic and I want to go back." So, I thought, well, maybe we are Catholics. But we weren't. Because, and then we were raised in a very Protestant environment because we had to go to Sunday School and church, Protestant church.

AL: Do you know what Miss Stuart's response was to Celeste when she was saying she was Catholic?

AS: No, she didn't say anything negative or positive.

AL: Uh-huh, right. Did, did you all share a room at her house or did each...

AS: Well, we had, I had bunk, bunk beds. 'Cause there were like seven of us so we obviously had couple were rooms.

<End Segment 7> - Copyright © 2009 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.