<Begin Segment 2>

HH: George, when and where were you born? When and where were you born?

GI: When and where was I born? I was born on February 24, 1922, in San Juan Bautista, California, which is on the El Camino Real mission trail and one of the working missions built by Father Junipero Serra.

HH: Is that near Salinas?

GI: It's not too far from Salinas. It's about nineteen miles from Salinas.

HH: So how old would that make you today, if you're born in...

GI: How old am I now? I'm seventy-two years old.

HH: Your parents' names?

GI: My parents' name. My father's name was Genroku Ikeda, and my mother's name was so Tsuyuko Ikeda.

HH: Now, this town in which you were born, is that also where you grew up?

GI: No, I was born in San Juan Bautista, but I actually grew up in a town called Salinas, California.

HH: Okay, and so were you in Salinas up to the time of evacuation?

GI: Yes, I was in Salinas until the time of evacuation.

HH: How would you describe this town? Would you call it the city of Salinas at that time?

GI: The city of Salinas at the time had a population of about ten thousand. It was a farming community. In fact, even John Steinbeck wrote about the fertile Salinas Valley, it has become the lettuce capital of the world.

HH: Did you attend high school in Salinas?

GI: Yes, I attended high school in Salinas. It was called Salinas Union High School.

<End Segment 2> - Copyright © 1994 JACL Philadelphia. All Rights Reserved.