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RP: This is an oral history for the Manzanar National Historic Site. Today we're talking with Dennis Bambauer. And our interview is taking place in room 301 of the Main Street Station Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The date of our interview is August 12, 2009, the interviewer is Richard Potashin and the videographer is Nancy Hadlock. Dennis'll be sharing his experiences as a former internee at the Manzanar War Relocation Center as well as a resident of the Children's Village at Manzanar. The interview will be archived in the site library. And, Dennis, do I have permission to go ahead and, and conduct our interview?

DB: Yes.

RP: Thank you very much.

DB: I'm very happy to.

RP: Thank you so much for taking some time out of your schedule today. I'd like to start our interview by talking a little bit about your early years at the Children's Home Society Orphanage and then go to Manzanar. Can you first tell me your date of birth?

DB: 10/7/34.

RP: Okay. And can you tell me what you recall about your mother? Her first name?

DB: Well, you remember that I was born out of wedlock. And so I am assuming that you wish my natural mother's name, and then if necessary, the second mother.

RP: Okay.

DB: My natural mother was Anna Tojo. And, she placed me in an orphanage at birth and proceeded to not be involved in the family with the placing of me in the orphanage. So I never knew my mother until about the same time that we're talking about for this interview. It took me fifteen years to find her and then when I found her she rejected me for several, several years. And we've worked our way through that. And, when I say we worked our way through it, at least we could talk to each other. Mother guarded facts very religiously. So, when it got into areas sensitive to her viewpoint, but of course not to my viewpoint, she always won. So, that's Mother Anna.

RP: In... do you know your father's, biological father's name?

DB: Yes. When I found my mother I had some information about a gentleman who was is a barber. And when I had the opportunity to talk to my mother about him, all I knew was his name. And I asked Mother if that was my father and she said, "Yes." And that then left me on the desire to see if I could find him. So, I only was looking for him probably about two years. I started looking for him seriously after my mother told me that that was his name. And, I found him within six or eight months of the time that I got that new piece of information. And his name was Schurfe. Right at the moment his first name is slipping me, by me. He was a barber. He had two other sons. But, natural sons. I was the only son born out of wedlock. So, I found him and he was comatose. He was suffering from diabetes and so forth. So my yearlong find became a very short time with him and without him being able to communicate with, with me. So, my hopes of finding out more about my family background were destroyed or limited because of his health.

RP: Is your, is Anna still alive today?

DB: Oh, my mother died about three years ago of intestinal blockage. Fortunately it was a very quick death and you know, we each have different viewpoints of death. But, this is one of the things that she was prepared for. Didn't expect to have a blockage but she would talk in terms of, you know, we all have a limited time here. When it's our time we will come and go.

RP: Did you get to see her before she passed away?

DB: Oh, yes. I took it upon myself to... she lived in Saint Louis. And I took it on myself to become as involved within that side of the family as I could. And so I attended weddings birthdays and things like that. And, that helped our relationship develop. Now the other side of the family -- I'm gonna jump there -- was the Tojo side. And their welcoming of me into their family was totally opposite. They opened their arms, embraced me, and made me feel like I had been there for all of my life. So the comparison between the two -- and I don't want to be critical, but one was much easier than the other.

RP: Now, your mother, Anna, had gone ahead and, and remarried or, or got married --

DB: Yes.

RP: -- and had a, a family of what, six children?

DB: She had a family of six children as I recall, yes. And they all grew up in the Cincinnati, Saint Louis area. I'm having a little problem with a thought. Oh, maybe it will come back.

RP: Did she, did she marry a Japanese man or a...

DB: Her first marriage was a Japanese man. Her second marriage was Caucasian. He was only together for -- my memory serves me -- like five or six years. And then I don't know what happened.

<End Segment 1> - Copyright © 2009 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.