Rap on Ruark’s column and a look at JACL’s future

Vol. 48, No. 25, June 19, 1959. 8 pages. View this issue

A columnist’s attack on Nisei drew the sharpest response in this eight-page issue. Bill Hosokawa wrote that Robert Ruark showed ignorance of the constitutional rights of American citizens, and National Director Mas Satow asked JACL chapters to protest the column and write to their local newspapers. Mike M. Masaoka used the front page to pose eight questions about JACL’s direction as the 1960-70 Planning Commission began its work, and Tak Terasaki argued that the youth program needed a full reappraisal.

Elsewhere, the paper reported on California civil rights bills, among them AB 89 on publicly assisted housing and a bill banning bias by state licensees. The 100th Battalion became the 100th Battle Group. Graduation season brought news of West Point and Air Force Academy appointments, scholarships and chapter honors, and the sports pages covered judo, bowling and baseball.

What’s in this issue

Community

• Gerald Nakashima Bound for West Point, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Gerald Nakashima of San Jose was appointed to West Point by Congressman Charles Gubser after graduating from San Rafael Military Academy. He will report to West Point on July 7.
• Gov. Brown Awards Fresno Lass Prize, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Ross Toshiyuki of Edison High School won first place in a statewide fire prevention poster contest. She received her award from Governor Brown in Sacramento.
• Governor Swears In Joe Saito to Board, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Joe Saito of Ontario, Oregon, was sworn in as a member of the Oregon State Board of Agriculture by Governor Mark Hatfield. Saito is an active Snake River JACL member and former Intermountain District Council chairman.
• Arizona Sansei Competes in National Finals of Spelling Bee, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Margaret Tanita of Glendale, Arizona, represented her state at the national Scripps Howard Spelling Bee and was eliminated in the 30th round. She is believed to be the first Japanese ancestry contestant in the national championships.
• 7-Year-Old Dies in Roadside Accident, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Terry Takamoto, age 7, ran into the road while waiting for his school bus and was struck by a car driven by a Mather AFB airman. He died hours later from his injuries.
• San Mateo Student Given Harvard Book, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Ben Haraguchi, a Hillsdale High junior, was named outstanding English student and received the Harvard Book award. The award is given annually by the Harvard Club of San Francisco.
• Poor Swimmer Dies in Vacation Tragedy, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Kenneth Kazuo Matsumoto, 16, and friend Larry Hagan drowned in the Santa Cruz Boardwalk pool after a group outing. Resuscitation efforts by the fire department failed.
• Art Ito Featured in National Floral Magazine, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Hollywood JACL member Arthur T. Ito’s floral designs were featured in the June issue of Art in Flowers magazine. The article also recounts his career in the flower industry and civic involvement.
• Portland Lass Wins State PTA Award, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Carole Somekawa won a four-year University of Oregon scholarship from the Oregon Congress of Parent-Teachers over 600 applicants. She is a Grant High School senior planning to study education.
• Terasaki on PTA Board, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Y. Tak Terasaki, Mountain-Plains JACL chairman, was named to the lay advisory committee for Stevens School in Denver. His daughter attends the school.
• Given Scholarship for Study of Wines, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Gary Kozuki, a Parlier High graduate, received a $250 grant from the Wine Institute for study of wine and grapes at Fresno State College.
• San Francisco JACL Scholarship Committee Named, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Five members were named to the San Francisco JACL scholarship committee to administer the annual chapter scholarships. Approximately $500 was raised at a recent benefit movie for the fund.
• Snake River JACL Honors Graduates, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Three college and fifteen high school graduates were honored at the Snake River JACL banquet in Ontario, Oregon. Beverly Kariya, the valedictorian, received a cash award and scholarship.
• Marysville JACL Honors Local Area Graduates, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Marysville YBA and JACL held a dinner and dance honoring college, high school, and grammar school graduates. Chairmen and a long list of graduates were recognized.
• Twin Cities Community Picnic Slated July 26, by P.C. Staff, page 4. John Takekawa and Dr. Norman Kushino are co-chairing the Twin Cities Japanese American community picnic on July 26. The program will include traditional Japanese dances and Basque entertainment.
• New York Chapter Installation June 26, by P.C. Staff, page 4. New York JACL will hold its 15th annual installation dinner at the Empire Hotel on June 26. The board recently elected several new governors.
• French Camp JACL Plans Outing for Graduates, by P.C. Staff, page 4. French Camp JACL will host an outing at Micke’s Grove on June 20 honoring local graduates. Activities include swimming, games, and a weiner bake.
• Contra Costa Chapter, Youth Co-Sponsor Dance, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Contra Costa JACL and local high school graduates are co-sponsoring the Stairway to the Stars dance at Richmond Civic Center. Admission is by invitation with a small donation requested.
• Sacramento Bazaar Set for July 3-4 Weekend, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A joint Sacramento Nisei VFW-JACL benefit bazaar will be held July 3-4 at the Nisei War Memorial Hall. Booth assignments for adult and youth clubs will be finalized at a meeting.
• Alaska Judo Club Named for Nisei 442-er, by P.C. Staff, page 6. A judo club named in memory of Sgt. Dick Masuda, a Stockton 442nd soldier killed in Italy, was formed at Bielson Air Force Base in Alaska. It was founded by Dick Hayashi, a Stockton Judo Club member.
• Buddhist Invited First Time to Baccalaureate, by P.C. Staff, page 6. A Buddhist priest, Rev. Junjo Tsumura, delivered the invocation and benediction at a Watsonville High School baccalaureate service for the first time. The service was held May 31.
• Long Beach Queen Candidate for Nisei Week Festival, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Betty Sakamoto, a Long Beach State College student, was crowned Miss Harbor 1959 at a JACL dinner-dance. She will be a contender for the Nisei Week Festival queen title in August.
• Downtown L.A. JACL Plans Dinner-Dance to Introduce Queen Hopeful, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Downtown Los Angeles JACL will introduce its Nisei Week candidate at a dinner-dance at the New Ginza on July 1. Organizers plan a gathering of local business and professional men.
• Portland Nisei Promoted on Television Job, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Betty Ann Yoko Minamoto was promoted to director of program and continuity at KPTV in Portland. She had joined the station after graduating from the University of Oregon journalism school.
• Portland JACLer’s Son Succumbs to Leukemia, by P.C. Staff, page 7. David Roy Maeda, 4, died of leukemia on June 1. His father, Roy Maeda, served as first vice president of the Portland JACL chapter.
• Brother and Sister Star as Graduation Orators, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Joy Hirai and her brother George Hirai Jr. were named valedictorian and salutatorian of Cascade High School in Boise Valley. They are the children of Mr. and Mrs. George Hirai.

Military & Veterans

• New Jersey Sansei Gets Appointed to Air Force Academy, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Warren Nogaki of Bergenfield, New Jersey, was appointed to the Air Force Academy by Senator Clifford Case after an initial nomination was delayed by age requirements. He is the son of Takeo Nogaki, a founder of the JACL movement.
• 100th Infantry Battalion Reorganized as Battle Group, Retaining Same Numerals, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Army redesignated the 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry as the 100th Battle Group, retaining its numerical identity. Lt. Col. Walter K. Mookini will command the reorganized unit.

National

• FHA, VA Assisted Tract Housing Target of Calif. Civil Rights Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 1. AB 89, authored by Assemblyman Augustus Hawkins, prohibits discrimination in publicly assisted housing and passed the State Senate with amendments. The bill returns to the Assembly for agreement on those amendments.
• Calif. Welfare Boosts Approved by Assembly, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The California Assembly passed two bills raising state welfare costs by over seven million dollars annually, now pending in the Senate. One extends old age benefits to certain aliens and the other increases hardship payments for the aged.
• Calif. Assembly Passes Anti-Bias Licensee Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Assembly voted 52-16 for a bill by Assemblyman Phillip Burton banning racial or religious discrimination by state licensees. The bill, A.B. 2612, now awaits Senate action.
• A Wrong Righted, by Monterey Peninsula Herald, page 2. The Monterey Peninsula Herald praises the Justice Department for completing the restoration of citizenship to Nisei who renounced it during wartime relocation. The editorial notes most who requested restoration received it and that the claims process concluded.
• Hawaii Governor Asking Pentagon to Waive Height Minimum for Nisei ROTC Cadets, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Three Japanese American ROTC graduates at the University of Hawaii fell below the Army’s minimum height requirement. Governor William Quinn promised to appeal to the Secretary of the Army to waive it.
• Ex-Interior Attorney Theodore Haas Plunges to Death, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Theodore H. Haas, a federal Indian law expert and Interior Department attorney, died after plunging from a building in Washington. He had been under psychiatric treatment for exhaustion.
• Nat’l Civil Rights Commission Panel, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Two Idaho and Hawaii Nisei were named vice-chairmen of state civil rights advisory committees appointed by the President’s Commission on Civil Rights. Suyehiro is a farmer and Yamaguchi an attorney.

Commentary

• Eight Questions and Then Some for JACL, by Mike M. Masaoka, page 1. Mike Masaoka poses eight questions about JACL’s future as the 1960-70 Planning Commission begins its work. He urges members and non-members to submit their ideas to the commission.
• Protest of Ruark’s Column, by Mas Satow, page 2. JACL National Director Mas Satow asks chapters to protest a Robert Ruark column that disparaged Japanese Americans after the Justice Department apology. Chapters are asked to write letters to local newspapers and report where the column appears.
• Youth Program Questioned, by Tak Terasaki, page 2. Tak Terasaki argues that JACL’s youth program needs a full reappraisal before too many commitments are made. He calls for continued public debate on the program in the Pacific Citizen.
• Frying Pan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 3. Bill Hosokawa criticizes columnist Robert Ruark for a hip-shot attack on Nisei and the Justice Department’s apology. He argues Ruark displays ignorance of the constitutional rights of American citizens.
• Southwestward, by Fred Takata, page 4. Fred Takata reports on judging a Miss Pasadena queen contest for Nisei Week and a SWLA Queentime Ball. He also describes the National Board meeting in San Francisco and chapter competition for membership.

Sports

• U.S., Canada Women Judoists in Tourney, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Women judoists from the U.S. and Canada competed in an experimental international tournament at Hatashita Dojo in Boise. Promotions were also made at the Boise Valley Judo Club’s annual tournament.
• Batter Beaned by Ball Succumbs, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Buck Ohno, a Lethbridge Nisei outfielder, was struck by a beanball and later died after falling into a coma. He left a widow and three young children.
• CSU Nine Names Nisei Honorary Captain, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Hank Kibota was named honorary captain of Colorado State’s baseball team after winning the Eastern division batting title. The diminutive centerfielder finished with a .416 average.
• Southland Bowlers at Orange County Invitationals, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Bowlers from the Southland competed in the Orange County Invitational tournament at Futurama Lanes in late May. Several event champions and high scores were recorded.
• Twirling Champ Heads for Nationals, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Maxine Furuike, 16, of San Mateo High won the state championship of the U.S. Twirling Association and will compete at the national grand nationals in Ohio. She was recently elected student body secretary.
• Training for the 1960 Fencing Team, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Madeline Miyamoto, a Dorsey High student and expert fencer, is training with an Olympic competitor with hopes for the 1960 Games. She has fenced with Hollywood celebrities.
• All-Star Women Bowlers Sweep Hawaii Exhibition, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The National JACL women’s all-star bowling team won all three exhibition matches in Hawaii. Judy Seki Sakata led the team with high series scores.

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