<Begin Segment 21>

TM: Okay, so with school, you attended the same school, as I understand, through eighth grade, is that correct?

FP: Yes, from third grade on to eighth grade. And it was a neighborhood school called Abernathy, and it's still there, right.

TM: So Ladd's Addition, that's where you were. And what high school did you attend?

FP: Washington High School, when it was very, very (full), it was at its peak population, three thousand-plus. And it was so crowded and filled that we would have to sit on the stairs and eat our lunch, right.

TM: So this must have been '53 or '54 that you entered high school, all the way through '57, '58?

FP: Right, right.

TM: And what were you, what activities were you involved with at school?

FP: Okay, let's see. In the eighth grade, well, I was safety patrol. I went out and held the flag, I remember that. But I don't remember... oh, and Girl Scouts.

TM: Were there other Japanese American kids that were in the Girl Scout troop?

FP: No, in general, Abernathy, the classes I were in were primarily Caucasian students.

TM: Did anyone ever ask you about the war at that time, classmates or friends that were...

FP: I don't think so. I don't think so. It wasn't a curio to them. It's like, "Oh, here's my friend. She speaks English as well as I do."

TM: Were you involved in any Japanese American clubs or organizations?

FP: Yes, yes. In fact, Veleda... you know, I said Sorrelles the other day, but it wasn't. It was Veleda that gave me the scholarship, the ladies club, Japanese club, right. But I was member of Sorrelles, which was a Japanese young ladies club, teenage club. And let's see, in the neighborhood... that's all I can remember in the neighborhood.

TM: So the Sorrelles, you must have gone to a lot of dances?

FP: Yes, it was fun.

TM: And beach trips, maybe?

FP: I may have gone to a beach trip or two, but I don't remember an awful lot about it.

TM: And can you just tell us a little bit about your involvement with that club?

FP: With the Sorrelles?

TM: Right.

FP: There was a lot of dances, social get-togethers. Right, because it was, we would have opportunities for girls to meet Japanese young men. And in some cases, like I think (friends) like Keiko Dozo, they would get married, right. So it was a nice place to meet young men and women.

TM: And for you, was it a role of leadership in any way?

FP: Not in Sorrelles, not in Sorrelles. I didn't stay in that long. It was like maybe freshman/sophomore, maybe part of junior. I got so busy with school activities, I just couldn't stretch it any further.

TM: You were working hard in (high) school and doing all kinds of activities.

FP: Right. Oh, and then I was a member of JACL. (I was on the National Honor Society, Girl's League, and president of the Neak Social Club).

TM: Oh, at that time?

FP: Right, and then I entered a speech contest, and I won the speech contest for the local, and so we went to Salt Lake City to compete nationally, right. So it was very exciting.

TM: Do you recall picking berries during high school?

FP: Yes, that's a rite of passage for most teenagers that live in the Portland, Oregon, area. And then by that time, we had Japanese farmers living here, like Hood River and the Dalles, (up and) down the road towards Salem (or the Columbia Gorge).

TM: And you'd be with other kids, young and a little bit older as well.

FP: Right. And there were a few Japanese kids there, because I slept in a barracks-type setting so we could be right out in the field early in the morning.

TM: And what farm and where?

FP: The Fuji Farms (or the Fujimoto Farms).

TM: And where was that located?

FP: It was towards Gresham, Gresham/Troutdale area.

TM: How about razor clamming?

FP: We loved razor clamming. We would go razor clamming, and let's see. Previously, we would go, we would get crabs, go out as a family and get crabs. And steam them, oh, they were so good. And then in a great big pot right on Netarts Bay, and the whole family -- oh, that was a family-building time. And we would all, you know, reach in and get the crabs, they'd turn from green to red while you watched them. So it was wonderful.

TM: So these were family trips.

FP: Yes, uh-huh.

TM: What else did your family do as far as trips? Were there other, did you go matsutake hunting?

FP: Oh, yes, definitely. Every fall. And then we learned that you pass a matsutake for identification through three hands.

TM: Interesting.

FP: Right.

TM: And where did you pick?

FP: We picked generally in the Mt. Hood area around Zigzag often.

TM: Did you have secret spots that you know?

FP: Oh, of course, of course. And then later in Estacada. But if you say Estacada, that's not pointing out your hunting area, you know. Oh, and Grandpa Korekiyo, near Seattle, would take... you know, 'cause it's a family secret, all these su, they called them, mushroom su, niches. And he would take us and show us his secret place for matsutake up near Mt. Rainier.

TM: That's really cool.

<End Segment 21> - Copyright © 2014 Oregon Nikkei Endowment and Densho. All Rights Reserved.