Densho Digital Archive - Lury Sato Interview (denshovh-slury-01-0010)

<Begin Segment 10>

MH: When did you come back to Portland?

LS: Dad passed away and Mother couldn't stay here by herself, so I invited her to Maryland, but she wasn't happy there, and she thought she had all kinds ailments. And at that same time, my two sons was in Michigan. The older son was working for his PhD at Wayne State in Detroit, and my other son, Paul, got a job at, teaching at Michigan State, Lansing, Michigan. They were both in Michigan, and I felt I didn't have to stay in Washington. So I rented a house and came to Portland to look after my mother. At the same time, my brother was in a nursing home, so I came to look after both of them and that's in 1978. I was still full of energy then, so I had to find something to keep me busy. I looked into the senior program, and I got involved with the senior lunch program. And also after we got someone to take over Ikoi no Kai, I worked on the housing project, Ikoiso Terrace. That was kind of hard work. I had to go and beg money from different people to fund the, receive money for the project, but it's been successful. Oh, yes, and also when I went to one of the, one of my trips to Washington, I lobbied for the project. I went to see some of the senators there, and I think that helped. Also at that time, I was, I visited other housing project. San Diego had Kiku Garden, San Diego, and it was in a process of building. And I saw the fellow who was in charge, and he says, "Well, you got to be, play politics." So I came back, and I went back and forth to Washington, D.C. and that helped in our road to Ron Wyden who was helpful. He was the one who called me, said that we got that project.

MH: So, actually you were the first director of Ikoi no Kai, the hot lunch program? You were the first director.

LS: Yes.

MH: And then you were instrumental in getting Ikoiso started?

LS: Yes.

MH: You have this real interest in the elderly. Are you still working with the elderly people?

LS: I'd like to stay in touch with the younger generation. So when I was alone here, I had students from Japan stay here. University of Portland, I went there, and I had about three different students who came and roomed and cooked on their own kitchen privilege, and that was a kind of nice thing. We looked after each other. I tried to learn Japanese, but they tried to learn English, so we didn't get, I didn't get much progress in Japanese.

MH: What do you do now for recreation?

LS: I still play tennis, if I can. I can only play thirty minutes because it takes energy. With Janet, I play thirty minutes at Portland Tennis Club right there by Benson High School. For us, since we've been there, they let us use it for thirty minutes, but since, that was in the morning. They were able to give us court when it's empty, when we were able to get a court for thirty minutes. They're always rented out for a full hour. And then when she stopped playing, I thought I'd play with my niece. She works until 4 o'clock and that's busy time. I couldn't get a court at that time. So when weather is good, we might play out in the local tennis court. But it's, and then I swim. At Emanuel Hospital to get, use the pool, you have to be employed or associated, so I volunteer Saturdays at the Emanuel Hospital, and I get privilege to use the pool. Of course, you pay for that, but then it's good. Very often... oh, you have to have a swim partner, so you can't swim alone. Until this year, we didn't have lifeguard, and so I made a friend with whom we met Tuesdays and Thursdays to swim. And today too, I'm anxious to go and swim at 3 o'clock, if possible. What else do I do? Oh, folk dancing. I did folk dancing in Maryland before I came to Portland, and I enjoyed it very much. So I looked around, and I found that Reed College had folk dancing group. So I joined that group, and I've been folk dancing every week for twenty-five years now. It's fun. I want you to join me too.