<Begin Segment 10>

RP: Now your father worked... I'm sorry, not your father, but your husband worked closely with the administration. He was part of the administration --

AT: Yes, uh-huh.

RP: -- of the camp.

AT: On the legal side.

RP: And he worked under the project attorney?

AT: Yeah, Mr. Throckmorton.

RP: And did you have any relationships with any of the administration people?

AT: Yes, through my husband. There was Ed and B.B. Chester. They were teachers. And after they moved out and (when we moved back home), then we went to many of their parties. We were there when Ed passed away. And then buried, B.B. passed away too.

RP: Oh, the Chesters?

AT: Yeah, uh-huh. And then the Bruces. We kept contact with them. Of course they lived in some other state out east, I think. So it was by letters but.

[Interruption]

RP: This is tape two of a continuing interview with Aya Tsurutani. And Aya, we were talking about some of the staff people that you had social relationships with.

AT: Yes.

RP: Would you go down to the administration to have dinner with some of these folks or would they come up to have dinner with you?

AT: Well, I know my husband... I've never gone down there but through my husband I know we had dinner at one of the... firemen or something. I didn't get to know them too well.

RP: Were there parties that you attended at the staff's...

AT: No, it wasn't parties. It was just, they were inviting us for dinner or lunch. I guess they thought I'd really like real food. [Laughs] I know this Mrs. Throckmorten for lunch she served us waffles and melon, things that we, you know, we wouldn't get in camp ordinarily. I don't remember getting much, many different fruits in camp.

RP: What was your opinion of the food in the mess hall?

AT: Well, at first it was, it wasn't very good. Same thing every morning, mush. [Laughs] But it improved and then they learned how to make tofu I think. Then we got that. We were very happy about that. And then the, we were able to buy cake which we thought was very good. Then, food was improving.

RP: Did you go down to shop at the store?

AT: Oh, yeah, uh-huh, quite often. I don't remember what I went to buy, but I know I did. Well it was, we were way up on the hills so it was quite a walk, which was nice in a way.

RP: Did you take him with you?

AT: Yeah, we had a little wagon and pulled him in the wagon. Oh, and they started to have a, where we could get our hair done. And when he started kindergarten, well, it's not kindergarten, it's before kindergarten.

RP: Preschool?

AT: Preschool, yeah.

RP: And where was that located do you know?

AT: That was just a few, I think it was the next block, I think. It was very close to... we just had to walk straight across almost.

<End Segment 10> - Copyright © 2010 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.