A grocery store wall falls on JACL members in Salt Lake City

Vol. 52, No. 10, March 10, 1961. 4 pages. View this issue

A freak accident in Salt Lake City led the March 10, 1961 issue. The wall of the Family Market, owned by Mike and Taki Nakamura, crumbled after an adjacent excavation, and ten Japanese Americans, all Salt Lake JACL members, were caught up in the incident. Two customers were injured. Elsewhere on the front page, the Washington House voted 90-0 to put repeal of the anti-alien land law on the 1962 ballot, Idaho passed its first comprehensive civil rights bill, and Mike Masaoka wrote on the Lincoln inaugural centennial and the 14th Amendment.

This four-page issue also carried chapter news: Fred Taomae was installed as Hollywood JACL president, and Parlier JACL marked its 25th anniversary. Bill Hosokawa’s column looked at courting ethnic voting blocs, and Saburo Kido profiled Suma Sugi, the first Nisei lobbyist. Rep. Daniel Inouye was announced as banquet speaker for the national bowling tournament.

What’s in this issue

Community

• Family Market in Salt Lake City Crumbles; Ten Japanese Americans Involved, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A Salt Lake City grocery store owned by JACL members Mike and Taki Nakamura was damaged when its wall collapsed due to an adjacent excavation, injuring two customers. Witnesses described the freak accident and the owner’s relief that it was a slow day.
• Cincinnati Girl Wins Hallmark Award, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Kellene Adachi of Cincinnati was one of five recipients of a Hallmark Award in Arts, winning eight first place Gold Keys and two honorable mentions. Her entries were submitted from high schools in the Cincinnati area and northern Kentucky.
• Fowler JACL Hears Judge’s Report on Recent Russia Trip, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Judge Matt Goldstein described conditions in Russia at a Fowler JACL dinner meeting, noting closed churches and primitive peasant housing. He said he was happy to return to a free country.
• Twin Cities JACL Credit Union Declares 4% Dividend, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Twin Cities JACL Credit Union declared a 4 percent dividend for 1960 along with a 10 percent rebate on loan interest. George Young was elected president at the annual meeting.
• Pasadena Issei Story Group Loaned Pioneer Diary, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A diary kept by Pasadena pioneer K. Wakiji has been submitted to the Pasadena JACL Issei Story Committee for translation. Wakiji was among the early Japanese to enter a float in the Tournament of Roses.
• Idaho Legislature Passes First Comprehensive Civil Rights Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Idaho legislature passed the state’s first comprehensive civil rights and full employment practice bill, which was sent to the Governor. The measure had active support from five Idaho JACL chapters.
• Chapter Grappling with Local Problems and Youth Activities Cited as New Emphases, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Former national JACL president Dr. Roy Nishikawa addressed the San Fernando Valley JACL installation dinner on how to attract members. He urged chapters to run outstanding local programs and to appeal to Sansei through youth activities.
• Hollywood JACL Installs Fred Taomae, Chuman Reveals Plans to Move Into Area, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Fred Taomae was installed as Hollywood JACL president succeeding Mike Suzuki, with PSWDC chairman Kay Nakagiri conducting the induction. National JACL president Frank Chuman announced his family would move to the Hollywood area in April.
• PC Shop to Move, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The building housing the Shin Nichibei and Pacific Citizen is being torn down, and the newspapers will relocate to 345 E. 3rd St. around June or July. The Pacific Citizen’s print shop will move along with them.
• Bowling Tournament Banquet to Hear Rep. Daniel Inouye, by Bill Matsumura, page 3. More than 1,000 guests are expected at the awards banquet of the 15th annual National JACL Bowling Tournament in San Jose, where Congressman Daniel Inouye will speak. The event is dedicated to Hawaii’s 50th year of statehood.
• California Assembly Votes to Ban Poll Challenge, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The California State Assembly voted strictly along party lines to eliminate literacy-based challenges to voters at the polls. The bill followed reports of intimidation of foreign-born voters during the 1960 election.
• Fred Hoshiyama Named Chief of Largest YMCA Branch Dealing With High Schoolers, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Fred Hoshiyama was named head of a reorganized San Francisco YMCA unit combining three branches into one, the largest U.S. Y branch serving high school youth. He will oversee the merged operation.
• California Fair Housing Conference Called, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The California Committee for Fair Practices called a legislative conference in Sacramento to push for the Hawkins Fair Housing Act. The bill, AB 801, prohibits housing discrimination and has the support of 30 JACL chapters.
• White River Valley JACL Reactivation Nears, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Interested Japanese American residents of the White River Valley near Tacoma are moving to reactivate a chapter under the Puyallup Valley JACL. A petition with 38 signatures has been submitted and a nominating committee formed.
• Intermountain Jr. JACL Organized, Elects Ben Kawakami Chairman, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Junior JACL representatives from the Intermountain area formally organized a district council at Caldwell, Idaho. Ben Kawakami of Mt. Olympus was elected president.

National

• Washington House Passes Land Law Repeal Resolution, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Washington State House of Representatives passed SJR 21 by a 90-0 vote, placing a constitutional amendment to repeal the antiallien land law on the 1962 ballot. The action came as a surprise, since a previous 1960 referendum had failed.

Commentary

• Lincoln Inaugural Centennial, by Mike Masaoka, page 1. Masaoka reflects on the centennial re-enactment of Lincoln’s first inaugural and the lasting meaning of the 14th Amendment. He urges Japanese Americans to support civil rights and equality for all Americans.
• Parents Ask County for Bus Service for Pupils, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Parents in Kauai County requested bus service for children attending Japanese language school. The request was submitted to county officials.
• From the Frying Pan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 3. Hosokawa comments on Governor Pat Brown’s meeting with young Nisei Democrats in Sacramento and their requests for judicial and commission appointments. He cautions that wooing ethnic voting blocs is a tactic that falls short of true integration.
• How Do Parents View Youth Programs?, by Fred Taomae, page 4. Taomae examines the difficulty chapters face in getting parents to support JACL youth activities, which are often treated as free baby-sitting. He describes how one chapter solved the problem by having parents take over the program.
• Suma Sugi Yokotake: First Nisei Lobbyist, by Saburo Kido, page 4. Kido profiles Suma Sugi, who lobbied in Washington, D.C. as a representative of the Los Angeles Citizens League around 1931. Her visit included meetings with congressmen and a visit to the White House.

Military & Veterans

• Nisei Veterans Elect Ted Nakanishi Commander, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Ted Nakanishi was named commander of the Nisei Veterans Committee in Seattle. The group met at Mark’s Charcoal Broiler.

JACL

• National JACL Board Meeting Agenda, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The National JACL Board will meet March 17-19 in Los Angeles to review policies and projects. Agenda items include Washington and California legislation, the Issei Story Project, budget and finance, and the 1962 convention.
• Parlier Awards Four Silver Pins at 25th Anniversary, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Parlier JACL celebrated its 25th anniversary by presenting silver pins to four longtime members. New members were also honored at the dinner.

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