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RB: It seems that both of your parents resettled fairly early into Philadelphia. I know, in particular, your dad, was one of those early resettlers based on the photographs. I'm curious, did he come through the Philadelphia hostel? Do you know the exact means of his resettlement here?

PU: No, I don't know. I don't know.

RB: And the photos that you mentioned earlier featuring not just your dad, but also your aunts, around Independence Hall and sort of elsewhere in the scenic locations, how does it make you feel to see those photos?

PU: I mean, it's just kind of interesting, because they were all so young at the time, and to kind of think about the circumstances they were facing and all the change and kind of not knowing what was going to be happening to everybody, even at that point. And the fact that they decided not to go back to California and what that must have signified or represented about their outlook at that point. Yeah, so it's kind of a lot of things.

RB: And I know that your father was pretty involved with the Philadelphia Nisei Council as one of their co-founders. Do you know much about their activities or anything that you could tell us about the Nisei Council?

PU: No, I mean, I think it was mainly trying to be like a resource for people resettling here and kind of exchanging information and helping each other out and having social activities, things like that.

RB: And then I believe the Nisei Council sort of merged with the JACL Philadelphia chapter when it was established in 1947, if I understand the history correctly.

PU: Well, yeah, I mean, I guess I wouldn't, I hadn't thought of it as being a merger, but you could put it that way. But I kind of thought it was more like the precursor that evolved into the Philadelphia chapter. Just like the same people decided they wanted to have that national connection with what was going on through JACL.

RB: Both of your parents were founding members of the Philadelphia chapter?

PU: Yeah.

RB: Did they talk much about the early years?

PU: No. [Laughs] No, I read about it.

RB: I've seen some photos from that era, kind of late '40s, early '50s. I recall and EDC-MDC joint conference that was held here, photograph of maybe the Sayonara Gala with a number of ladies in what looks like prom dresses, including your mother.

PU: Really?

RB: I think your mom was there, too. But I'm just curious if you heard anything about some of the social activities that happened in those early years?

PU: Well, if you're talking about like, in the '40s and '50s, not really, I mean, I kind of picked up some of the vibe from when I first started going to EDC meetings, because they felt very different, you know, forty years ago than they do today. And there was much more of a kind of social component to it, more formalities and so on. Same thing like with the conventions.

RB: Yeah, makes sense. So I guess in terms of the resettlement, a few other questions I was thinking about, do you know how they chose Philadelphia, last chance?

PU: I think some of it was happenstance. Because I believe it's one of my uncles, graduated high school in Rohwer. And through the Nisei Student Relocation program, he made the connection and got support from them to come to Philadelphia and go to Temple. So I understand that he was the first one on that side of the family to come here, and then he kind of got himself settled in. And then I guess they decided, you know, the rest of the family, not everybody, because another uncle, George, at that point, was in the 442nd and was already in Europe. And I remember, I think one of my aunts had enrolled at the University of North Carolina, so she was there. But I think I think the rest of the family on my mother's side ended up coming here, and they first were living in an apartment at the Fellowship House in North Philadelphia.

RB: Did you hear that Fellowship House apartment described in any detail?

PU: No, only that it was kind of newly created to serve as housing for Japanese Americans. And there's also WRA photos of some of my mom's... I remember one picture, it's got my grandmother and I think, two of my aunts and one of my uncles that were, you know, sitting in a room at Fellowship House. That was their apartment.

<End Segment 3> - Copyright © 2023 JACL Philadelphia. All Rights Reserved.