<Begin Segment 13>

TM: Going to school, you were in kindergarten, first grade, and second grade while you were in Minneapolis.

FP: Yes, yes.

TM: Can you talk about the racial makeup of your class, your schoolmates? Were they hakujin?

FP: Right, most of them were Caucasian, okay. But there was one part of Vanport that --

TM: In Minneapolis.

FP: Oh, in Minneapolis, I'm sorry. I wandered over to Vanport. Let's see. Well, there was my friend, Dolly Kennick, who was my age. I wanted to do everything she did, but, you know, that's not realistic. But, oh, she was wonderful.

TM: What did you want to do?

FP: Oh, one time I wanted to be in a wedding party with her, and I remember I almost cried because I didn't get to go to the wedding. And it was her family wedding, but, you know, it's like, "Dolly, you get to do something that I don't get to do?"

TM: And why couldn't you do it?

FP: Well, that's not appropriate for some outside family member to all of a sudden pop up. And being in a wedding, you know, right.

TM: In school, do you remember any teachers that you liked?

FP: I remember my kindergarten teacher slightly, just very slightly. And, let's see... and I can't remember her name. I don't remember names until I get to third grade. And by that time, we were back at Vanport city, which is right outside of Portland.

TM: Do you recall any classmates, anyone, any classmates, young, memories of any classmates ever asking where you were from?

FP: Probably, but not a lot. And then at that time, like my folks' thoughts were of assimilation, assimilation and integration, especially assimilation. And up to five years old, I never spoke any English. It was a shock for me to go into kindergarten and not be able to understand the teacher. And she had given a command, "Please bring the chair here," because we were in a circle, you know, like reading stories or something, and I misunderstood. I thought, "Oh, she doesn't like me." So I took the chair and sat in the corner because I thought, "Oh, she's punishing me," or something, you know. And I went and sat in the corner.

TM: How did you learn English?

FP: Well, yeah, I just... it came gradually during that period.

TM: In Minneapolis?

FP: Yes. And Grandma, my mother was raised, remember, at the Notre Dame high school (in Okayama-ken), so she would speak some English to me, and then, but mostly Japanese. But the expectation was that I would answer in English.

TM: And how about your father? Did he speak to you in English as well at that time?

FP: Right, because he was a Nisei. Mom was a (Kibei), hanbun Issei. Hanbun Issei means a half Issei, and because she had gone to Japan and assumed Japanese membership there.

TM: So for that reason, Japanese was spoken primarily when you were very young in your household.

FP: Yes, yes. And then later Mom would try to teach me to read, because she could read, very simple children's books, she could read that. So she would tutor me in English that way. The very, very elementary levels.

TM: What job was your dad doing at this time in Minneapolis?

FP: I don't remember an awful lot. It was probably just something to get by on. And, but I do remember that he tried to go to mechanic school, but he wasn't cut out for it, so that didn't work out. And then after a while, as soon as the West Coast opened up, and that was after we defeated Japan. So that would probably be, we defeated Japan in '45? Right, okay, and then so shortly after that, we came back to the West Coast.

TM: Okay, we're going to talk about that.

<End Segment 13> - Copyright © 2014 Oregon Nikkei Endowment and Densho. All Rights Reserved.