<Begin Segment 23>

TM: And so did you, through your twenties and thirties and then later, did you participate in Japanese American organizations?

FP: Somewhat in the Japanese American Citizens League.

TM: Did you ever, when did you join the Japanese Ancestral Society?

FP: Just lately. I was more or less unfamiliar with it, I think Dad paid his dues (...), but that was about it, right. And then recently my friend, Kenny Ono, said, "Why don't you come and work with me?" and I ended up being co-chair for the committee. And then we got a grant, so it was, you know, it was wonderful.

TM: And that work is concentrated on what, the grant?

FP: Yes, on revamping and modernizing and cleaning, a lot of cleaning and scrubbing of the Japanese Rose City Cemetery, right.

TM: So reflecting back, as a young person, would you say that you had opportunities that your mother and your grandmother never had?

FP: Oh, yes. Oh, yes, definitely. Like opportunities for the Pakistani women and the Indian ladies that have not had opportunities, right. (Examples: travels, education, choice of mate, choice of careers.)

TM: And looking at how you grew up in your household, and then later with your husband and your two children, how was that home different, or that household different?

FP: It was out in the country in Scappoose, which is twenty-five to thirty miles away from home, from my current home. And then we decided to settle there because we wanted to give our kids... my husband just loves the country 'cause he grew up in the country. And we wanted to give the kids a really nice (and healthy) environment to grow up in. (My love of "living things" as a biology teacher was also a part of the choice.)

TM: Kind of like your grandparents' farm and the summers you spent there as well.

FP: Right, right. And then having majored in biological science and sciences, especially the biology part, it was just an ideal fit for me, right.

TM: And what have you told your family about your experiences, your kids, going all the way back to camp?

FP: Once in a while it will come out in conversation, but I think this video will be a real contribution to their background, because I don't think I've discussed anything as fully as I am doing so here.

TM: And how do you think the wartime experience affected your parents?

FP: They became very determined that they were gonna succeed. And they were young enough that they could get the strings of their life and pull it back together again. And it wasn't like some man that, or some families where they ended up committing suicide because they had lost everything. But we were, Mom and Dad were of a hopeful, newer generation.

TM: As a Japanese American, how did the wartime experience define who you are today?

FP: I appreciate the Japanese cultural roots, right, because if it wasn't for camp, I wouldn't have realized that, and we were all congregated, the sense of community, the sense of family, and the sense of just working together so closely, you know, support.

TM: What can we learn from what happened to Japanese Americans during World War II?

FP: We could learn never to do that again to American citizens. I mean, it's a disastrous thing to go through, and especially for the Mideastern people that get discriminated on. (Today) sometimes that discrimination is, you can't say it's warranted, but the fear is even greater because of certain violent acts in the Middle East that's occurring right now. So it's difficult, but we don't want our American citizens to be discriminated against.

TM: Having such a wonderful life and such a beautiful family, what is the most important thing in life, do you think?

FP: Let's see... well, I think my family rates up there. I'll just say them unranked. And I think the value of education allows you to advance in America, and that includes the power of language and the sense of community that I got from our culture is wonderful, is a wonderful bond.

TM: And who among your grandmother, your parents, your brother, who's with us today?

FP: Okay, the only descendant I have now that's alive is my brother, who's one year younger than I, and in a nursing care type home facility. And everybody else is gone. Oh, except my... but then the cousins, I mean, the heads of their family are gone, like Uncle Ro and Nobi, but then the cousins remain, right. So we exchange notes a lot.

TM: And finally, did your grandparents, did they become citizens of the U.S. in '52 and '53?

FP: I don't know if Grandma did, I don't think she ever did. She felt it was just too late because she would have to learn how to read and all of that, study.

TM: Citizen test.

FP: Right, right. And then by that time, Dad was a very fine American student (and citizen) and an example, so she knew that she could depend on Dad to help her.

TM: And is the family farm still up in Kent?

FP: Let's see, is it? The one that...

TM: Your grandparents'?

FP: Right, (Mom's side). I think they sold it, right. I think they sold it. (But the immediate generation, myself and kids, go back and forth to Scappoose and keep Portland Home.)

TM: Well, is there anything you want to say that you haven't had a chance to say or been asked?

FP: Oh, thank you for this interview. It's been a fairly long interview process, but then I will have a product to share with my children, things I have never shared before, right. So it's very valuable. And I'm glad that it's going in the archives if it helps future generations understand, well, it's worth it. (Narr. note: My daughter Delcy, I'm very proud of her; she's an airline pilot of a small plane company, Reserve Air Force as a Lt. Colonel. She is currently stationed in Africa, in the country of Nigeria, due to conflict there.)

TM: Well, thank you so much for sharing your story, Fran.

FP: Well, thank you, Todd, and Ian and Cameron, all that you did.

<End Segment 23> - Copyright © 2014 Oregon Nikkei Endowment and Densho. All Rights Reserved.