<Begin Segment 17>

TR: You were fortunate enough to escape internment, but a lot of people that you knew and your husband's family were all interned. You grew up in an immigrant family that worked very hard, and it sounds like your father was a pretty remarkable man.

AN: He was. He truly was.

TR: Looking back over all the experiences of your life, what has it taught you about living in the United States?

AN: I'm very fortunate, that I know. Yes. Yes. It has, I haven't stopped to think about it, but, you know, I have learned to, I really appreciate the love of the Lord. You know, that just, it couldn't happen just any place, so I'm very fortunate I can go to any church that I want to attend, and I think that is about the most important thing in this world now. I feel the importance of it now. I didn't when I was young. So I'm, I feel very fortunate for that reason.

TR: And if your father were here today and listened to this whole conversation and how your life had progressed and the things you've done, what do you think he'd say?

AN: Well, I think he would be happy. I think he really would. I've appreciated his personality and the goodness of his life. That really is amazing, not how much money you make or what kind of an impression you make in this world, but it's knowing, knowing the Lord and what he has done for us and what he is doing and how he controls our lives. So many times, there are so many things that we worry about and are concerned about. But if we know that the Lord has control, I always tell myself that. Not what we do or what we say or what other people or circumstances, whatever, but it is that He takes care of it all for us.

TR: Can you tell me when your mother and father passed away and what the circumstances were?

AN: Well, my father had cancer, and he died on the home place. And of course, my mother has never been well. She never was really strong, so that's why she didn't do an awful lot of work out in the field because she wasn't very strong. But she had heart trouble and high blood pressure, and it ended up with kidney problems, and so she died about two months after my father. But then one thing is she didn't, they didn't have to see what my brothers, my brothers all died. My brother Ray was in an auto accident, and he was killed instantly, and then my brother Roy drowned, and then my brother George had an auto accident. A man ran into him, so then he was an invalid, almost an invalid for about fifteen years. And they didn't have to see that, so I'm glad for that. And I know, I remember my father saying one time, he says, this is when we lived in Nampa, and we were all young then. But he said, "Do you know that just about all of our friends have lost a child, had some illness or accident?" And he says, "We are so fortunate because we're all, all four of us are still well and strong." But that didn't last.

TR: Is there anything that we haven't talked about that you'd like to talk about?

AN: I'm sure there is, just can't think of it.

TR: Well, I have one final question. Looking back on your life and the things that you've learned, what advice might you have for your great grandchildren and your great-great grandchildren in the generations to come?

AN: Well, I would say to look to the Lord. I think that's the answer, just to about everything, just look to Him for advice and for care. So you can have accidents, see like my brothers all had accidents and anything can happen. But if you look to the Lord and depend on Him, I think that is the answer to the whole world if we would just do it. We just don't seem to go to Him like we should.

TR: Well, Alice, I know you were hesitant to appear on camera to begin with but I want to thank you for sharing your stories with us and be assured that other people will see your stories and learn from them, and you'll become part of the archive of Japanese American History in Oregon.

AN: Oh, my. I surely would hate to see it.

TR: Well, thank you so much for sharing your stories with us.

AN: All right. You're welcome.

<End Segment 17> - Copyright © 2004 Oregon Nikkei Endowment and Densho. All Rights Reserved.