<Begin Segment 5>

RP: Where did you go to elementary school?

JO: In San Fernando Elementary school right in San Fernando. At that time they had San Fernando, Morningside, and O'melveny, the only three elementary school. And the people that lived in the Santa Clarita Valley, the high school kids had to all come down to San Fernando. They had to get bussed in. And now that's quite a ways, you know, it's not... so it's quite different than now. The San Fernando has its own new high school in Lauel Canyon and the old school is the junior high. And across from there is a big new court building which I had to go in and do some... what you call that duty?

RP: Jury duty.

JO: Jury duty, yeah.

RP: What do you remember about grammar school in San Fernando?

JO: Oh, well, I remember when right after the earthquake they didn't have it. They had a bunch of little they call like bungalows. Not Quonset huts but they were similar because they were all canvas on top, the rooms were, until they started building the other building, they put the other buildings in. And at one time the school was out of bricks. So when the earthquake hit, well, you know how bricks is, there's no steel reinforcement or anything in there. So, and then, so they built that... I remember taking music lessons and the other thing I remember is basically there was, most of the kids there, I'd say about fifty or sixty percent were Mexicans. And they were not illegal Mexicans. These guys were workers and they used to have lunch in there and they used to make Mexican food and boy it was great. [Laughs] I remember that. And I also remember I was helping with that. They had this Pinocchio, had a play when I was, the last year I was there. And I was the stage manager. So I had to take care of getting all of the setting things moved and all that.

RP: You said you took music lessons in school?

JO: Yeah, I was taking violin lessons. I don't know why, because I hated it. I also made, did a lot of carving, wood carving. I haven't done any since. In fact, my daughter was asking the other day, 'cause I gave her a box that I made and it has Pinocchio on it, on all that. And I said I carved all that thing and she was asking me when I made it. Because I guess I had a label on it at one time and I guess it just tore off or whatever, underneath it. But I remember I was gonna be leaving the school. I mean, that was my last year there so the teacher says you gotta do that. So some of the time I was there, every free time I was workin' on it. Then she was asking me if I did that. A lot of things I'd, that they do... put the outline and everything and I tell you I just used carbon paper and traced it. So you know, but that's about all I can remember. I don't even remember the graduation then. I know they had a graduation in that auditorium. 'Cause it was in a newly built auditorium.

RP: So did you have close, close Mexican friends while you went, while you were in school?

JO: Oh yeah. In fact, one of 'em I don't, I don't know what happened, but the other one, he worked, it's in Seal Beach or somewhere down there. And I had just heard that he's having some kind of health problem. Otherwise, he went through all the high school and junior high. And then there were three of us that was went together all the way through. I don't remember any of the girls or anything though, but just boys. And he, I think he worked for Douglas or something, one of the other companies. And the other guy was a pharmacist. So, I don't know.

RP: What did you do for fun?

JO: When? [Laughs]

RP: When, when you were growing up?

JO: Oh, I don't know. You know, you just play out there in the street like all the kids do, baseball and lots of stuff like that. And then go out, sometime go ride the bicycle or something like that. Do other kind of sports. There wasn't too much facilities at that time, but in those days you had to do things around the house and stuff like that more than anything else whether you would... or your parents would get after you. There's not, they're not lenient like they are today. [Laughs]

RP: Did you have an opportunity to do any fishing or hunting?

JO: I don't remember. No, I think I might have went hunting a couple times with a BB gun, but that's about all. I don't think I did any fishing. And didn't do any... no, let's see, no, I didn't do any camping either I don't think.

RP: Did you, did the family pretty much work all week long or would you take Sunday off and...

JO: No, the only day we got off was Saturday. Farmers don't get Sunday off, you know. They have to pick vegetables and stuff for Monday's market. Saturday was the day you'd get off and then Saturday I was going to Japanese school. So you know...

RP: What was that like for you?

JO: It was something that I sort of regretted now that I didn't keep on going. I went to, well, I went there 'til we moved, went to camp in '42. Well, it was part of, the last part of... yeah, it was '42. And that was the end of it. I wish I'd gone on because... but I made the best of it anyway. I got married to a girl from Japan and she can do all that. [Laughs]

RP: Did... your parents spoke predominately Japanese? Did they learn any English at all?

JO: My dad never learned English. My mom was speaking some English until she got to camp. Then she worked as a janitor at the school. And then when she was there, there was a Mrs. Ealy, Helen Ealy I think it was, she was the English and Mom used to spend all the time she can with her and learned English. But even before that she used to... because even when I remember she used to speak a lot of English to me. So, yeah... and one thing she told me when I -- and I remember it today -- she said, "This is your country. Japan is not your country. You've got to be loyal to U.S," and everything. She said, "You do everything for the United States." So that, so I remember all that and it stays with me.

RP: You had a strong identification with your country?

JO: Yeah. So, well, I was with my mom until I went to the service. I was with mom all that time. And since my brothers were all in the army and I saw what's going on, I decided I would go into the navy, 'cause the navy was opened up then. And she says, "Well, you do what you have to do and you do it." So she never said anything about...

<End Segment 5> - Copyright © 2010 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.