Housing bias, the Salt Lake convention and a mid-1958 Nisei roundup

Vol. 46, No. 26, June 27, 1958. 8 pages. View this issue

Housing discrimination led the news in 1958. A Sacramento judge ruled that federal funds cannot finance homes in tracts that bar buyers by race, and the paper followed the story from Long Beach, where the home of Dr. Charles Terry was vandalized, to a Denver conference where officials argued that open housing is the key to ending bias. The 15th Biennial JACL national convention in Salt Lake City, August 22-25, ran through the pages too. The President’s Corner urged chapters to send delegates, Rupert Hachiya reported on preparations, and the Midwest District Council nominated Shig Wakamatsu for national president.

Elsewhere, Bill Hosokawa wrote about the new Highland Park Methodist Church in Spokane, and Larry S. Tajiri’s column covered actress Nobu McCarthy. Mike Masaoka marked 50 years of Japanese immigration to Brazil, and Harry K. Honda made the case for higher subscription rates. Several pages carry graduate honors, scholarships and chapter news from across the country.

What’s in this issue

JACL

• 15th Biennial Convention Nears, page 1. JACL President urges all chapters to support the 15th Biennial National JACL Convention in Salt Lake City, August 22-25. He emphasizes sending delegates and contributing financially to the convention.
• New York to Host 1959 Joint EDC-MDC Confab, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Midwest District Council accepted New York JACL’s invitation to host the 1959 joint Eastern-Midwest District Council convention. Milwaukee will host the 1960 MDC convention.
• Shig Wakamatsu Nominated for Top JACL Post, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Midwest District Council unanimously nominated Shig Wakamatsu of Chicago for National JACL President for 1958-60. His record includes chapter and district leadership, the National Planning Committee, and service as National 1st Vice-President.
• 15th Biennial Underlines, by Rupert Hachiya, page 2. Convention chairman Rupert Hachiya reports on preparations for the Salt Lake City national convention, including booklet ads, cover art selection, and local church support. He also previews the bridge tournament and the convention banquet decorating effort.
• Japanese Americans Lead Chapter Efforts for Convention Support, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Convention committee members report on fundraising, decorations, and volunteer work for the Salt Lake City national convention. Auxiliary members have spent hundreds of hours preparing banquet decorations.
• JACL Convention Essay Contest Deadline Nears; No Entry Received, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The National JACL essay contest deadline was extended to July 15, 1958, and no entries had been received as of this report. Contest chairman Mas Yano hopes to generate interest among youth.
• Convention Promoting Vacation Special, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Salt Lake JACL Convention Board sent chapter presidents a special Salt Lake Tribune rotogravure edition promoting the city as a vacation destination. The issue was timed to encourage attendance at the August 22-25 convention.
• Chapter Proxy Form for Convention Set, by P.C. Staff, page 5. National Director Mas Satow reminded chapters that proxy forms for the Salt Lake convention must include the $2.50 registration fee and be submitted by August 15. Chapters unable to send delegates may assign their vote to another delegate.
• Pretty Face in a Pretty Place: Convention Artists Retreat, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A new artists’ retreat has been added to the JACL convention program, held in Brighton, Utah on August 23. Delegates are invited to sketch and paint the mountain scenery and display artwork at the hotel.
• Convention Queen Margaret Itami Keeps Busy Schedule, by P.C. Staff, page 8. JACL convention queen Margaret Itami made television appearances and met Salt Lake City’s Pioneer Day queen as she promoted the August convention. Housing and banquet decorations for the Salt Lake meeting are also described.
• 69 Chapters Adopt Travel Pool Plan, by P.C. Staff, page 8. 69 chapters endorsed a national convention travel pool to equalize travel expenses for delegates from distant regions. National Headquarters will proceed with the plan, with a $50 chapter contribution due by July 15.

Incarceration & Redress

• ‘Lily-White’ Tracts With Gov’t Financing Doomed by Judge, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A Sacramento judge ruled that federal funds cannot finance homes in tracts that discriminate by race, in a case brought by Negro veteran Oliver Ming. The decision bars FHA and VA financing from supporting racially restricted subdivisions.
• 12-Year Legal Battle Ends for Nisei Strandee, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Los Angeles federal court ruled that Mitsugi Nishikawa remained a U.S. citizen because his Japanese army service was involuntary. The decision followed a Supreme Court reversal of a 1955 judgment against him.

National

• Things Not Too Bright Yet Over Housing Situation: Home Vandalized, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Property owners in Long Beach’s Bixby Knolls area formed a group to screen buyers after vandals damaged the home of Dr. Charles Terry, a Negro physician. The vandalism caused about $15,000 in damage and drew widespread public response.
• Non-Restricted Housing Key to End Race Bias, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Civil rights officials John Sullivan of New York and Mark Smith of Oregon argued at a Denver conference that ending housing discrimination would open the way to eliminating bias in other areas. They noted the Little Rock incident had prompted the North to examine its own discrimination.
• Canadian Nisei Brief Presented on Immigration Inequality, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Japanese Canadian Citizens Association and the Chinese Canadian Association presented a brief to Canadian Minister Ellen Fairclough. It argued that Canadians of Asian ancestry face unequal treatment under immigration categories for family reunification.
• Color TV Popular in Japan, by Tamotsu Murayama, page 3. Color television is being demonstrated and tested in Japan, with some 30 new commercial stations granted permission to broadcast in color. Electronics makers are studying ways to mass-produce sets for about $500.

Community

• Joanne Yamaguchi Wins Girls State High Post, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Joanne Yamaguchi of Platteville was elected lieutenant-governor of Girls State in Colorado from among 276 participants. She was one of seven top elective posts won at the meeting.
• Technologist Wins Annual Award, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Helen Y. Fukushima of St. Paul received the Twin Cities Society of Medical Technologists’ annual award for her contributions to the profession. She is a histocytologist at Midway Hospital and president-elect of the Minnesota Society of Medical Technologists.
• Chicago Buddhist Church Carnival Ready July 3-6, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The 14th annual Chicago Buddhist Church carnival will be held July 3-6 at its recreation hall. The event will feature an outdoor barbecue chicken dinner.
• Really Took Advantage of School, Says Principal, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Lincoln High School principal Raymond Davis praises graduating senior Esther Arakaki for her extensive activities and achievements. She won a Bank of America award, several scholarships, and attended Girls State.
• New Sukiyaki Restaurant to Open in San Francisco, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Nikko Sukiyaki, an almost all-Nisei restaurant, is expected to open in San Francisco at Van Ness Avenue and Pine Street this summer. Architect Walter Harada is designing the interior in Japanese style.
• Nine Nisei Graduates in One Class Receive Awards, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Nine Nisei and Sansei seniors at Garfield High School in Seattle received scholarships and awards. Two were funded by local Seattle organizations.
• Entertain Ship Trainees, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Officers and cadets of the Japanese merchant marine training ship Kaiwo Maru were to be entertained at a picnic in Portland’s Viking Park. Several local community organizations were involved in the welcome.
• Mile-Hi JACLers Attend Annual Conference on Discrimination, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Mile-Hi JACL delegates James Okazaki and Wilbur Sato attended the tenth annual Conference of Commissions Against Discrimination in Denver. Speakers argued discrimination cost the nation billions and that fair employment benefits business.
• Boise Lass Selected Idaho Baking Champion, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Maxine Anne Mafune, a Cascade High School student, was named Idaho’s young baking champion for the national Pillsbury bake-off. Her entry is a yeast chocolate cake.
• Steak Dinner Feature of S.F. Auxiliary Outing, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The San Francisco JACL Auxiliary will hold an outing on July 13 in the Valley of the Moon, featuring a steak dinner. Co-chairmen Sumi Honnami and Kathy Reyes are handling reservations.
• West L.A. Auxiliary Plans Monday Picnic, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The West Los Angeles JACL women’s auxiliary, the first in the PSWDC, planned a family potluck picnic at Rancho Park on July 21. The group also plans speakers, benefit dances, and community services.
• Watsonville JACL Hands Out Scholarship, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Judy Furuta became the first recipient of the Watsonville JACL’s new $200 scholarship. The chapter also reported a successful barbecue and a planned joint dance with local veterans.
• Fowler Fades in 5th, Tied by Clovis 13-13, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Fowler and Clovis JACL softball teams played to a 13-13 tie in a thrilling game last Sunday. The teams decided not to play extra innings and to finish the contest later.
• Koyasan Drum & Bugle Ready for State Meet, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Koyasan Boy Scout Troop 379 drum and bugle corps traveled to Sacramento to compete in the American Legion state competition. The corps is sponsored by the Commodore Perry Post 525.
• Nisei Wins $600 Scholarship Grant, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Lawrence Maeda of Central High School in St. Paul was among 15 seniors awarded a four-year $600 Otto Bremer Foundation scholarship. The report notes his selection as a local honor.
• More Power Asked for S.F. FEP Group, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A San Francisco supervisors committee recommended strengthening the local fair employment practices commission by giving it status equal to other city commissions. The change would allow the commission to select its own executive director.
• 3 More Candidates in Nisei Week Race, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Lily Yuriko Kamiya, Margaret Nakai, and Mary Murai were announced as Nisei Week queen candidates for Gardena Valley, Southwest Los Angeles, and Orange County. Each will compete at the August 2 coronation ball.
• First Chinese American Joins Seattle D.A., by P.C. Staff, page 5. Liem Eng Tuai became the first Chinese American deputy prosecuting attorney for King County when he joined Prosecutor Charles O. Carroll’s office. The 32-year-old began work the week of the report.
• Sansei Honored as Jr. High School Head Boy, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Bruce Horiuchi, a recent Merrill Junior High graduate in Denver, received a plaque as head boy of Colorado’s largest junior high school. He was also honored with an achievement award and served three years on the student council.
• Ephebian Society Honors 26 Nisei and Sansei Graduates, by Henry Mori, page 7. Twenty-six Japanese American graduates from Los Angeles high schools were initiated into the Ephebian Society, an all-time high. The honorees were chosen for leadership, citizenship, and scholarship.
• Seiji Horiuchi Elected National Jr. Chamber Vice-President, by Henry Mori, page 7. Seiji Horiuchi of Brighton, Colorado became the first mainland Nisei elected a national vice-president of the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce. He won by an overwhelming vote at the Los Angeles convention.
• Daughter to Follow Steps of Late Father as Nishi Hongwanji Minister, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Rev. Yurii Kyogoku, a Berkeley graduate, returned to Fresno to become a Buddhist minister following her late father. She completed Buddhist studies at Ryukoku and Kyoto Women’s universities.
• Five of Top Six Elective School Posts Won by Sansei, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Sansei students won five of the six top student-body offices at Belmont High School in the fall semester election. Ray Kawaguchi was elected student body president.
• Buddhist Lay Leader Heads Chicago Nisei Legionnaires, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Henry H. Fujiura, a prominent Buddhist lay leader and business owner, was elected commander of Chicago’s Nisei American Legion Post 1183. He was chosen at the June 5 meeting.

Military & Veterans

• Reserve Commission, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Masaaki Hattori of Stockton was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve at the University of California Davis. He reports to the Quartermaster Corps School at Ft. Lee, Virginia, on July 26.
• $10,000 ‘Fee’ Tax-Exempt for Lawyer, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The U.S. Tax Court ruled that a $10,000 testimonial gift to Los Angeles attorney J. Marion Wright was not taxable income. Wright had won the 1952 challenge to California Alien Land Laws without fee.
• Two Nisei Graduate from West Point, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Richard M. Hirata of Lahaina, Hawaii and Robert J. Matsumoto of Bakersfield both graduated from West Point and were commissioned as second lieutenants. Hirata was assigned to engineers and Matsumoto to infantry.
• Japanese in Brazil Celebrate 50 Years, by Mike Masaoka, page 8. Masaoka describes the 50th anniversary of Japanese immigration to Brazil, which began with the arrival of the Kasato Maru in 1908. He outlines how the community has prospered in agriculture, industry, and politics.

Commentary

• From the Frying Pan: Magnificent, by Bill Hosokawa, page 2. Hosokawa describes the new Highland Park Methodist Church in Spokane, built largely through volunteer labor by Japanese American members. He also questions whether the congregation will remain segregated and what the church means for the area’s Nisei and Sansei.
• Vagaries: Jerry Lewis’ Girl: Nobu McCarthy, by Larry S. Tajiri, page 3. Actress Nobu McCarthy, after losing earlier roles, won a part in Jerry Lewis’s comedy Geisha Boy after director Frank Tashlin saw her in a man’s white shirt. The column also covers Sessue Hayakawa’s career and John Wayne’s comments on working in Japan for The Barbarian and the Geisha.
• Pointing Southwestward: Anniversary, by Fred Takata, page 4. Fred Takata marks one year of the JACL Southern California Regional Office, reflecting on chapter visits and new relationships. He also reports on community juvenile delinquency efforts and APL hospitality.
• Very Truly Yours: About Time for Change in PC Rates, by Harry K. Honda, page 5. The Pacific Citizen editor argues subscription rates should rise to meet doubled production costs since 1948-49. He outlines the financial projections showing a shortfall even with increased membership and advertising.

Obituaries

• Young Clergyman Named Man of Year Graduate, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Rev. George Nishikawa, a Sacramento Methodist church leader, was named Man of the Year by Boston University Theological Seminary’s 1958 graduating class. He had served as assistant pastor at Falmouth Methodist Church.

Sports

• Tommy T. Kono Nominated for Nisei of the Biennium, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Olympic weightlifting champion Tommy Kono was nominated by the Sacramento JACL for Nisei of the Biennium honors. The nomination praises his international competition record and his goal of competing in the 1960 Olympics.
• Ron Kiino Picked for Jr. National Baseball Play, by P.C. Staff, page 7. University High pitcher Ron Kiino helped the All-City team defeat the Southern California All-CIF squad in the Hearst classic. He was selected to play in the Hearst Jr. National championships at the Polo Grounds.

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