<Begin Segment 6>

MR: And then what did you do when you got back?

JT: In 1945, I started high school, freshman. As a high school, I went to Lincoln High School. But psychologically, I didn't want to be Japanese. I wanted to be an American. I wanted nothing to do with the Japanese people. Therefore, I decided to move over, transfer over to Benson High School, which I did. So I finished there. I graduated there. I received a little scholarship to Lewis and Clark when I graduated. I believe I was the first Japanese American to become an official driver for the Rose Festival Princesses. And the last year, I was the vice president of the student body. I also played some baseball for high school.

MR: You said you didn't want to associate with the Japanese Americans. Was Lincoln High School, did they have a heavy population of Japanese Americans?

JT: Yes. I believe most of the Japanese students attended Lincoln. And again, psychologically, I had such an inferiority complex at that time that I just didn't want to be associated with Japanese.

MR: So you said you got a scholarship to Benson?

JT: Not to Benson, but from Benson to Lewis and Clark.

MR: Oh, I'm sorry, I misunderstood. In my memory, Benson High School was a technical high school. Did you have a technical focus?

JT: Yes. It so happened that at Benson, you can take two types of courses. One, to prepare you for work; the other, to prepare you for work and college which was a little rougher course, and that's the one that I took. I first wanted to become a specialist in gas engine. But after seeing the fingernails of all the students, I changed my major to electricity. When I went to Lewis and Clark, my mother actually wanted me to become a doctor. Well, I didn't give that much thought until later.

MR: Now you said you were a Rose Festival driver. Was that in high school or college?

JT: That was from Benson High School.

MR: At the time, was Benson all boys?

JT: Yes. Therefore, we were the princesses.

MR: So where did they get the princess from, the Benson, you were a driver for Benson?

JT: Right.

MR: So where did the princess come from?

JT: From every other school that was co-educational.

MR: I see. So Benson provided the drivers.

JT: That's right.

MR: Okay.

<End Segment 6> - Copyright © 2003 Oregon Nikkei Endowment and Densho. All Rights Reserved.