Chapter installations, bowling and a campaign against an anti-Japanese slur

Vol. 48, No. 4, January 23, 1959. 8 pages. View this issue

Chapter life filled the January 23, 1959 issue. Saburo Kido urged officers of the West Los Angeles and Venice-Culver chapters to meet their national obligations, while installation dinners and elections were reported from Sonoma County, Monterey Peninsula, Salinas Valley and Long Beach-Harbor District. The front page also told how the New York JACL office began clipping newspapers and trade publications for the word “Jap,” and Joe Kadowaki wrote to Newsweek to reject its “blessing in disguise” view of the wartime forced removal.

Also in these eight pages: plans for the 13th National JACL Bowling Tournament, with results from regional bowling events, and Mike Masaoka’s Washington newsletter on the new Congress. Elmer Ogawa reported on efforts to repeal Washington’s Alien Land Law, and a San Francisco group planned a Japanese Garden Center in the Nihonmachi redevelopment. Kaz Oshiki became the first Nisei administrative assistant to a congressman.

What’s in this issue

Community

• Clipping Service for the Word ‘Jap’, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL’s New York office began clipping newspapers and trade publications for the derogatory term ‘Jap,’ finding only three uses in several months. Readers are asked to forward any local instances to the New York JACL office.
• Kaz Oshiki Appointed Administrative Assistant to Wisconsin Congressman, by JACL News Service, page 1. Kaz Oshiki, a Wisconsin newspaperman, became the first Nisei appointed administrative assistant to a congressman when he joined Rep. Robert W. Kastenmeier’s office. The article traces his family background, wartime evacuation, military service, education, and journalism career.
• Freeway Route May Uproot Fowler Buddhist Church, by Thomas Toyama, page 1. A proposed alternate route for the Golden State Freeway between Fresno and Kingsburg could displace the Fowler Buddhist Church and property of several Issei and Nisei families. The 21.3-mile route would parallel U.S. Highway 99 about 800 feet west of the church.
• Vacaville Buddhist Church Dissolved, Area Never Fully Resettled, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Former members of the Vacaville Buddhist Church voted to dissolve it and sold its property. Once home to 130 Japanese families before the war, the area saw few families return after evacuation.
• Calif. Nisei VFW Reunion in Monterey, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The ninth annual Nisei VFW reunion will be held February 20-22 in Monterey with veterans from nine California Nisei posts. Reservations for bowling, golf, fishing, and hotel must be submitted to chairman Otis Kadani by January 25.
• Southwest L.A. JACL Pressing for 1,000 Members, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Southwest Los Angeles JACL launched a membership drive on January 15 with 85 solicitors led by 12 team captains, aiming for 1,000 members and 65 Thousand Club members. Dues and subscription offers were outlined and the campaign was expected to reach its goal by mid-February.
• New York JACL Initiates 15th Year with Best-Seller Author as Guest Speaker, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Capt. George W. Campbell, author of the best-seller ‘Cry for Happy,’ spoke at the New York JACL meeting about his interest in Japan. Japanese travel officials also discussed promoting tourism beyond the spring cherry blossom season.
• Sonoma County JACL Installation Dinner Rated Among Best, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Over 175 members attended the Sonoma County JACL and Auxiliary installation dinner in Santa Rosa, where officers were sworn in and chapter awards were presented. Tak Kameoka and George Yokoyama were named JACLers of the Year and George Okamoto received the Community Service Award.
• Monterey Peninsula JACL and Auxiliary Hold Elections, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Akio Sugimoto of Seaside was elected president of the Monterey Peninsula JACL, with a cabinet and 36-member board to be installed at a January 31 dinner-dance. The auxiliary also elected new officers led by Nobuko Takigawa.
• Salinas Valley JACL Installation Set with Judge Machado as Speaker, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Municipal Judge Elmer Machado will speak at the Salinas Valley JACL installation dinner where Kiyo Hirano will be sworn in as 1959 president. The dinner also includes special recognitions by Harry Shirachi.
• Bill Matsuoka Reports on 1000 Club Progress, by Bill Matsuoka, page 5. 1000 Club chairman Bill Matsuoka reported 59 Life Members and encouraged chapters to build toward 2,000 active members before the 1960 convention. He also announced a no-host 1000 Club luncheon at the February 1 Northern California-Western Nevada District Council meeting in Stockton.
• Long Beach-Harbor District JACL Elects Board of Directors, by Frank Sugiyama, page 6. The Long Beach-Harbor District JACL replaced its cabinet with a 20-member board of directors, electing Dr. John Kashiwabara as chairman. Vice-mayor Virgil Spongberg swore in the new board and gave the keynote address at the installation dinner.
• Newsletter: Cal-Western’s Wilshire Agency Kicks Off, by Henry Mori, page 7. Tats Kushida, former Southern California JACL regional director, is succeeding as a top producer for California-Western States Life Insurance, and the Wilshire Agency held a kickoff dinner under manager Harry Fujita. The agency’s Nisei agents wrote a large share of the company’s policies in 1957 and 1958.
• San Francisco Plans Japanese Garden Center in Nihonmachi Redevelopment, by P.C. Staff, page 7. A group of Nisei businessmen formed an investment firm to bid for a redevelopment block in San Francisco’s Western Addition for a Japanese-style shopping center. The project has been renamed Japanese Garden Center, and Nisei architects have been invited to submit designs.
• Washington Newsletter: 86th Congress Organizes, by Mike Masaoka, page 8. Mike Masaoka reports that the 86th Congress has organized with Democrats holding clear majorities on most committees, and that the Senate expanded its committee seats. He analyzes the composition of the House and Senate leadership and the average age and profession of members.
• Repeal of Washington Alien Land Law Seen This Year, by Elmer Ogawa, page 8. A joint resolution to repeal the Washington Alien Land Law was referred to a Senate committee early in the legislative session, with support from Governor Albert Rosellini and Lt. Governor John Cherberg. Seattle JACL leaders lobbied legislators for the repeal.
• George Kuniyoshi Accepts Southern California Japanese Chamber of Commerce Presidency, by P.C. Staff, page 8. George Kuniyoshi, operator of a drug store in Los Angeles, was elected president of the Southern California Japanese Chamber of Commerce, succeeding attorney Kenji Kuniyoshi. He is described as an active civic leader in the Japanese American community.

JACL

• Kido Urges Chapters to Honor National Obligations, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Past national president Saburo Kido, speaking at the joint installation of West Los Angeles and Venice-Culver chapters, urged officers to meet national quota obligations and strengthen youth and membership programs. He also recalled JACL’s budget history and stressed the value of chapter libraries and new-member orientation.

Incarceration & Redress

• Harvey Satoru Iwata Dies While at Work, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Harvey Satoru Iwata, a founding member of the Fresno American Loyalty League and former president of the Washington, D.C. JACL, died of a heart attack at his Army Map Service desk on January 19. He is survived by his wife, children, and siblings, and funeral services were scheduled for January 24.

Military & Veterans

• Nisei Color Photographer Cited by AMA Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Verlin Y. Yamamoto, a color photography expert with the VA medical illustration service in Des Moines, Iowa, received a special AMA certificate for a medical illustration exhibit. The former San Francisco Nisei’s work accompanied a study by Dr. Louis Palumbo.
• Strict Observance of Entry Deadline Promised for National JACL Bowling Tournament, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Tournament chairman Easy Fujimoto warned bowlers that the entry deadline of midnight January 25, 1959 would be strictly enforced for the 13th Annual National JACL Bowling Tournament at the Holiday Bowl March 2-7. Entry forms are available through league secretaries and JACL offices.
• Social Security Remarriage Provisions, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The 1958 changes to Social Security remarriage provisions eliminated the waiting periods that previously applied before a widow or spouse could collect benefits on a new spouse’s record. Examples illustrate how the new law applies and applications must be filed with local Social Security offices.

Commentary

• Letter from Joe Kadowaki on the Newsweek ‘Blessing in Disguise’ Article, by Joe Kadowaki, page 2. Cleveland JACL president Joe Kadowaki writes to Newsweek disputing its portrayal of prewar Japanese American family life and calling the wartime evacuation a loss of intangible values that material gains cannot restore. He rejects the characterization of the evacuation as a blessing in disguise.
• Director’s Report: National JACL Bowling Tournament and Equal Employment, by Masao Satow, page 4. National Director Masao Satow reported that ABC president Richard W. Gano will attend the bowling tournament awards dinner and that JACL is supporting state fair employment legislation. He also noted chapter membership progress, rebates for over-quota chapters, and comments on the Newsweek ‘Blessing in Disguise’ article.

Arts & Entertainment

• Dore Schary’s Latest Play: A Majority of One, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Dore Schary’s Broadway production of ‘A Majority of One,’ a comedy about a romance between a Japanese gentleman and a Jewish widow, opens February 11 with Gertrude Berg and Cedric Hardwicke. The article also surveys the current Oriental theater cycle including Flower Drum Song, The World of Suzie Wong, and Hayakawa’s return to the New York stage.

Sports

• Nisei Keglers Win Northwest Classic Honors, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Takeco Kawano of Ontario, Oregon, led the women’s division at the 12th Northwest Nisei Classic in Seattle with a 713 singles series. Results from Northern and Southern California bowling tournaments were also reported.
• Tom Thumb All-Stars and Club House Custodians Profiled, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Nisei brothers Yosh and Nob Kawano serve as clubhouse custodians for major league baseball teams, Yosh with the Chicago Cubs and Nob with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Gary Yamashita was among 16 players named to a Seattle Post-Intelligencer All-Stars list for 1958.
• Chicago Men’s Teams to Compete in National JACL Bowling Tournament, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Two Chicago men’s teams with averages of 931 and 919 will compete in the 1959 National JACL Bowling Tournament in Los Angeles. The article lists team members and their individual averages.

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