Densho Digital Repository - Ben Ohama Interview

Densho Digital Repository
JACL Philadelphia Oral History Collection
Title: Ben Ohama Interview
Narrator: Ben Ohama
Interviewer: Herbert J. Horikawa
Location: Medford, New Jersey
Date: August 27, 1994
Densho ID: ddr-phljacl-1-5-6

<Begin Segment 6>

HH: Looking at your life at this point, what would you consider to be -- aside from Sanger, we covered that part already -- what would you consider to be the most memorable aspect of your life thus far?

BO: What would be the most memorable aspect of my life thus far, especially in the Philadelphia area? Well, I came as, because of Philadelphia being a cultural and historical and also a religious center. And being a Christian myself, I think the greatest thing that happened to me is my growth in Christianity. I've really matured in that aspect.

HH: Regarding your wife, how did you meet your wife?

BO: Regarding my wife and how I met her, that's a good question. My sister, married to Henry's brother, I mentioned earlier, who was in Doylestown, and they lived in Watsonville. And I heard a lot about the Hirokawa family, which my wife's maiden name is Hirokawa, and when I went to Poston, naturally, there were many who we saw that we got to know each other, and that was good. And out of that, we did get married. Kuni went off to school at Wilson College in North Carolina. And when I got out of the service, she was teaching school in Detroit. And I came to Philadelphia and she moved out here also. Well, also, Kuni's brother Jimmy was relocated into Philadelphia.

HH: Earlier you described the communities in which you grew up in California, Sanger. How would you describe the communities in which you lived in Philadelphia, around Philadelphia?

BO: How would I describe the community that I lived in around Philadelphia? Well, when I came, I lived in Doylestown and then I went to Haddonfield where I went into the service. And when I got out of the service, I lived in Landsdale for a while with my brother-in-law Jimmy, and then I moved to Willow Grove, and we've been there for almost fifty years. And as far as the community is concerned, they're all nice, and I think it's the way we make it. And I've enjoyed it, I made friends, I experienced good and bad, but I don't think about the bad parts. And I have to say that everything was a plus, very good.