<Begin Segment 11>

SG: So after two years in the military, you came back to Portland, is that right?

HU: Yes.

SG: And what happened?

HU: Oh, what happened, there have been other struggles. But I wanted to go to school for the one thing, so what was the first job? Oh, I did odd job, the restaurants, work at restaurants, the busboys and dishwashers and butchers and vegetable men, fountain men. That's the only you could get, you know. The guy don't speak fluent English. Then I decide to enroll with the Portland State, now University, Portland State University, but I really had a hard time. Then I made it for two years, and then I become ill. In the same time, I needed a place to stay, so I become governor of American old ladies, rich ladies, so I take care of household, the stuff, the shopping, and, the financial things, and then that's my security for the home. Then I work for the grocery stores and then go to school, go to school, and then I get over extended. I become ill. I don't know exactly, I didn't have the money to go to doctors, but I just totally become ill. I could not raise my arms, just dead person. Then I called the Veteran's Administration, and the processes are so difficult to accepted in a veteran's hospital. You got to submit all your positions, all your properties before you're submitted to the, you know. And I'm doing this with my poor English, so just heck with it. So I quit a job for a while, and the only thing I kept is for the governorship for the American woman so I have a home, place to stay.

SG: Where was that located?

HU: Located in Northeast Portland. Then it took me about several months to fully recover the condition. By that time, of course, I quit school.

SG: Do you remember the woman's name you worked --

HU: Miss Fritz, Miss Fritz, Sue Fritz. We continued the relationship for a long time, you know. I quit the place. Even out where we got married, we just kept up our relationship until she died.

SG: So you worked there for six years?

HU: No, no. I didn't work that long, probably about maybe two, three years, I can't remember exactly. It's just so confusing, the time, the illness, going school, and working for the grocery store during that time, how many years I worked. But I still kept up the relationship and helped, helped her out. We went to the dinings and all that type of thing.

SG: And then your health recovered?

HU: Yes, after several months.

SG: And you said you were at PSU for, what were you studying at PSU?

HU: Business, business administration. But two years I have to give up. And later, I working, start working for the Naito, some Naito, Bill Naito's, warehouse, still going school. And somehow, I kept so many jobs at one time. And some of Bill's brother, Albert, he established his own importing company, so I was invited to work for them, and I worked there for a while. But Albert decided to go to California, so closed the shop. And after that, I worked for the other companies including, I don't know whether, you probably don't know, Makoto Iwashita, he had a gift shop, an import business in the Hollywood district. I worked him for quite a while, and I worked for George Azumano for a while. Then opportunity came to become general manager of a importing-exporting company, small company. Then I work there for a while, then I become managing director, and pretty much everything is, I have control and worked there for a while, then almost become, then I become a partnership with the owner, then stayed there for a while.

SG: Did you ever go back to school at PS, or school?

HU: No. I was just too busy. You know, I had a family. And of course, that's an excuse. You know, you should have, I have opportunity to do that, but just married and kids and busy with my own business, so never had a chance to go back. Sometimes cross my mind, maybe I should go back, but too old.

<End Segment 11> - Copyright © 2003 Oregon Nikkei Endowment and Densho. All Rights Reserved.