1000 Club milestone and a Boy Scout fund drive

Vol. 49, No. 23, December 4, 1959. 8 pages. View this issue

The JACL 1000 Club was the lead story of this 8-page issue. Ernest Takaki of Delano became the first Life Member under the new category set by the National Council, and membership reached 1,323, with chairman Bill Matsumoto aiming for 2,000. The Boy Scout from Japan fund stood at $881.20 of a $1,000 goal. Joe Nishioka of Idaho Falls was elected chairman of the Intermountain District Council, and Hiro Mayeda was re-elected president of the Chicago chapter.

Columns by Bill Hosokawa, Mike Masaoka and Jed Kimura appear inside. Masaoka wrote about Congressman Daniel Ken Inouye’s welcome in Tokyo, and Hosokawa answered a claim that Nisei lack a native tongue. Also here: California’s Attorney General held real estate brokers to the Unruh Act, Shonien was denied Community Chest aid, and chapter news, sports and holiday events fill the later pages.

What’s in this issue

Community

  • 1000 Club Greets New Life Member, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Ernest Takaki of Delano became the first Life Member under the new JACL 1000 Club category set by the National Council. The 1000 Club membership reached an all-time high of 1,323, with chairman Bill Matsumoto aiming for 2,000.
  • Boy Scout Fund Totals $881, Need $129 More, by P.C. Staff, page 1. National JACL Headquarters received additional contributions bringing the Boy Scout from Japan fund to $881.20 toward a $1,000 goal. The deadline was extended until the goal is reached to send a scout to the 1960 Jamboree in Colorado Springs.
  • Shonien Denied Aid From Community Chest, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Shonien child welfare center was ruled ineligible for Los Angeles Community Chest support because of Chest policy excluding single-nationality agencies. Community representatives met to discuss Shonien’s future and whether to expand the citizens committee.
  • 8 Rocky Mountain Nisei Honored for Community Service at Mountain-Plains Confab, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Eight Japanese Americans were honored at the Mountain Plains JACL recognitions banquet in Denver. Pat Okura, Omaha juvenile court officer, gave the main address urging Nisei to contribute to the broader American community.
  • Wakamatsu to Keynote CCDC Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 1. National JACL President Shigeo Wakamatsu will keynote the 10th annual Central California District Council convention banquet in Fresno. The convention will also swear in 1960 officers and feature a fashion show.
  • Chicago Re-elects Hiro Mayeda Prexy, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Hiro Mayeda was re-elected president of the Chicago JACL board and installed at the chapter’s 15th anniversary celebration. His cabinet was also announced.
  • Garden Grove Student Wins DAR Citizen Award, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Shirley Osumi, Girls League president at Garden Grove High School, was named winner of the Santa Ana DAR Good Citizenship Award. She will compete for the $100 state essay award.
  • Calif. Atty. General Holds Real Estate Men to Unruh Act, by P.C. Staff, page 3. California Attorney General Stanley Mosk ruled that real estate brokers who discriminate in housing on the basis of race, color, or religion face civil action under the Unruh Civil Rights Act. Civil rights advocates said the ruling would help ethical brokers resist discrimination pressure.
  • Sansei Selected Hi-Y Boy of Southwest L.A., by P.C. Staff, page 3. Alan Miyamoto, 16, was named Hi-Y Boy of the Southwest Los Angeles District, a step that may lead to a $1,000 scholarship. He has been active in YMCA programs since age six.
  • Evacuation Days to Be Recalled, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Kango Kunitsugu invited JACLers to a December 7 dinner meeting with Hal Carlton, associate general manager of the Los Angeles Community Chest, who had played a role in early evacuation. Carlton was willing to answer questions about the early days of evacuation.
  • Fashion Santa Models Announced; Nisei Originals Part of CCDC Attraction, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Original designs by Mrs. Gary Kadani of Fresno and Mrs. Charles Taguchi of Reedley will be modeled at the CCDC Fashion Santa show. Numerous local women and children will model apparel from I. Magnin’s.
  • Hollywood JACL to Discuss 1960-70 JACL Planning at Year-End Get-Together, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Hollywood JACL chapter will hold a year-end general meeting to discuss 1960-70 JACL planning and nominations for the 1960 board. A holiday social will follow.
  • Cortez JACL Bass Derby Winners Announced, by P.C. Staff, page 4. More than 400 contestants took part in the Cortez JACL bass derby at Frank’s Tract. First prize went to T. Taniguchi of Sebastopol with an 18 lb. 8 oz. catch.
  • Jim Kubota to Lead Fresno JACL Chapter, by P.C. Staff, page 4. James K. Kubota was elected 1960 president of the Fresno JACL chapter. The chapter will host early CCDC convention arrivals at a dinner.
  • Gardena JACL Wins Elbee Cage Tourney, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Gardena JACL retained the Long Beach-Harbor JACL Invitational Basketball Tournament championship with a 51-38 victory over West Los Angeles. Long Beach No. 2 took the consolation trophy.
  • Placer County JACL 19th Goodwill Dinner Set, by Roy Yoshida, page 5. National JACL President Shig Wakamatsu will speak at Placer County JACL’s 19th annual goodwill dinner in Auburn. Local officials and the Auburn Little League All-Stars have been invited.
  • Aster Kondo to Head Placer County in ’60, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Aster Kondo, a Loomis orchardist, was elected Placer County JACL president, succeeding Dr. Kay Kashiwabara. A full cabinet was named for the coming year.
  • Eden Township JACL Christmas Party Set, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Eden Township JACL will hold its 11th annual Christmas party for community children on December 12 at Ashland School. The event features a talent show and visits from Santa Claus.
  • Christmas Cheer Sees ‘All Church Day’, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Japanese churches in Los Angeles were asked to support the December 13 All Church Day of the Christmas Cheer drive. Donations of canned goods, staples, and cash were acknowledged.
  • Hollywood Community Chest Denied Japanese Nationality Support, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Japanese American community leaders discussed the Japanese Consul General’s involvement in a proposed Issei memorial and community center. The Shin Nichibei suggested the project might cost $500,000.
  • Masaoka Feted Thanksgiving Day by Nichibei Club in Tokyo, by Tamotsu Murayama, page 7. Mike Masaru Masaoka was honored at a welcome luncheon by the Nichibei Club in Tokyo on Thanksgiving Day. Admiral Kichisabure Nomura thanked Masaoka for his role in restoring the flagship Mikasa as a monument.
  • California Nisei State Employees Regain Retirement Rights, by P.C. Staff, page 7. California State employees of Japanese ancestry interrupted by WWII evacuation can now obtain retirement credit under Assembly Bill 984. Employees who returned to state service by January 1, 1947 may apply by January 1, 1960.

JACL

  • Joe Nishioka of Idaho Falls New IDC Chairman; IDC Youth Group In Successful Meeting, by Alice Kasai, page 1. Joe Nishioka of Idaho Falls was elected chairman of the Intermountain District Council at its biennial convention in Salt Lake City. A first youth session was held, with youth discussing how JACL can serve them.

Commentary

  • Nisei Veterans Honored… Press Comments: The Returns from Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Oxnard Press Courier reflected on Japanese farm trainees who returned home after three years of agricultural work in Ventura County. The editorial concluded the program promotes valuable people-to-people international understanding.
  • An Ambassador Truly Extraordinary, by Seattle Times, page 2. A Seattle Times editorial praised the six-week tour of the Orient by Senator Hiram Fong as a beneficial goodwill mission costing taxpayers nothing. The editorial noted Fong’s role as the first American of Chinese ancestry in the Senate.
  • From the Frying Pan: Native Tongue, by Bill Hosokawa, page 3. Bill Hosokawa rebuts a columnist’s claim that Nisei lack a native tongue, citing the fluent English of honorees at the Denver banquet. He argues the Nisei speak articulately and appreciate their citizenship.
  • By the Board: Oregon JACLers in Farm Organizations, by Henry T. Kato, page 4. PNWDC Chairman Henry Kato reports on attending the Oregon Farm Bureau convention as a voting delegate from Multnomah County. He highlights Nisei leaders active in Oregon farm organizations and plans for the January PNWDC convention in Puyallup.
  • Wherefore JACL?, by Jed Kimura, page 6. Jed Kimura recounts a former employer’s interest in JACL and shares the poem The Master Builder to argue for JACL’s youth program. The essay frames building bridges for future generations as the answer to why JACL matters.
  • From Washington Newsletter: Rep. Inouye in Japan, by Mike Masaoka, page 7. Mike Masaoka reports on Congressman Daniel Ken Inouye’s warm welcome in Tokyo as the first American of Japanese ancestry in Congress. He notes Japanese pride in the Nisei achievement and the goodwill value of the visit.

Arts & Entertainment

  • Radio Li’l Tokyo Starts 7th Year, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Radio Li’l Tokyo celebrates seven years of broadcasting with a Festival of Japanese Music and Dance at Koyasan Hall. The program includes kabuki revue, dance numbers, and popular tunes by the Pacific Band.

Sports

  • Imperial Gardens Sukiyaki Restaurant and Golf Results, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Fred Yoshikawa won the CCDC golf tournament with a 70 gross score at Airways Golf Course in Fresno. Mike Iwatsubo and Hiram Goya placed second and third.

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