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LT: Good morning, George. Can you give us your full name at birth?

GT: George Kinya Tsugawa.

LT: Okay. Was there any significance to your name?

GT: Not that I know of. Kinya, I don't know what that means, but I don't use that anymore because it seemed so odd, so I just use George and I forget the Kinya part.

LT: Okay.

GT: A lot of times I just tell people I don't have a middle name, but maybe I shouldn't do that.

LT: What about George? Was there a reason that your parents named you George?

GT: You know what I think, though? I don't know what the reason was, but you know, at that time, there was like, there was a lot of important George, especially George Washington, and I just wondered if that didn't come from that. There are some other important Georges, but I think it was mostly, I think, from George Washington. It could have been Abe Lincoln, too, but it's George Washington. I think that's why they called me George.

LT: Okay. You could have been Abe Tsugawa, huh?

GT: Yeah. But you look at the Japanese Niseis, there was a lot of Georges. At least my friends, there were a lot of Georges. They're gone now, but there was a lot of Georges in the Niseis.

LT: Interesting. So when were you born and where were you born?

GT: I was born June the 20th, 1921. It would be in the Everett area, that's where they're making a lot of airplanes. Boeing's out there now. But I would be in the Everett, as far as I know, there was a little town, and I don't think it exists anymore, name was Home Acre. And that's all I can remember. I don't know, it must have been a tiny town, because I think it's gone. You don't hear of Home Acre, Washington, but at that time it was called Home Acre.

LT: And your father, your father and mother, can you tell me about your father, his name, and where he came from?

GT: Yeah, just looking that up here recently. His Japanese name was Masaichiro, Masaichiro Tsugawa, I don't if there was any more to it, But he was born in Tokushima-ken, I guess. That's about it. Tokushima, that's all I know about it.

LT: Okay, okay. And where is Tokushima?

GT: Well, I think it's a little island across the bay from Osaka, I've been told. I'm not even sure if Tokushima is an island or if it's just land. But I keep thinking of it as an island.

LT: Do you know how your father and his family decided to come to the United States and what they did as soon as they came?

GT: You know, why they came, I'm sure they came over to find a better life. I really never did talk to Dad about that. So I'm sure they were like any other immigrants that come over to find a better life. As far as I know, I think that's why they all came over here.

LT: Okay. And what about your mother? What was her name and where was she from?

GT: My mother was in that same area. Let's see, her name was Kazuno, Kazuno Ishii. And far as I know, she was born in that same area.

LT: Okay. How did your mother and father meet?

GT: [Laughs] There again, I don't know. I was wondering if that was a "picture bride" type of wedding, but that, I don't even know about that, if that was a "picture bride" or not, if you'd call it that. But how they met, I don't know.

LT: Okay, okay.

<End Segment 1> - Copyright © 2013 Oregon Nikkei Endowment and Densho. All Rights Reserved.