Vol. 81, No. 10, September 5, 1975. 4 pages. View this issue
Contra Costa JACL’s work with Vietnamese and other Southeast Asian refugees led this four-page issue. After a coffee klatch and a picnic, the chapter set up a program to gather clothing, food and household items and to help refugees find medical care, English classes, jobs and housing. Harry K. Honda wrote about the chapters he visited around San Francisco, and Wayne Horiuchi reported on JACL’s tax-exempt status and on the reparations campaign. Sacramento announced June 20-26, 1976 for the 24th biennial National JACL Convention.
Also inside: reunions of Gila River and Jerome camp residents, 30 years on, and the 1975 JACL collegiate scholarship winners. Bill Hosokawa wrote from Taipei, and two JACL-JAL fellowship recipients, Joanne Fujita and Takashi Fujii, sent letters from Tokyo. Chapter news and a September calendar close the issue.
What’s in this issue
Community
- Contra Costa JACL aids Vietnamese refugees, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Contra Costa JACL chapter invited Southeast Asian refugees to a coffee klatch and picnic in June and July, then established an assistance program to meet their needs. The chapter is gathering clothing, food, money, and household items while helping refugees obtain licenses, medical care, English instruction, employment, and housing.
- Sacramento sets ’76 National JACL convention dates, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The 24th biennial National JACL Convention will be held June 20-26, 1976, hosted by the Sacramento chapter at the Sacramento Inn and Convention Center. Events planned include a golf and tennis day, National Council sessions beginning Tuesday, and a Delegates Mixer and Monte Carlo Night.
- New CAB rules won’t hit JACL travel program, by P.C. Staff, page 2. National JACL Travel Committee chairman Steve Doi said new Civil Aeronautics Board regulations will not immediately affect the JACL Travel Program. The new one-stop inclusive tour and special event charter rules may benefit organized groups, while the JACL’s regular charters remain largely unchanged.
- Gila River camp high school grads hold 30-year reunion, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Graduates of Gila River WRA Canal High School from 1943-45 gathered in San Francisco for a 30-year reunion attended by about 250 people. Awards were presented for those who traveled farthest, least change in appearance, and most children, and plans were made for a 1980 meeting.
- Ministers filming Nikkei gravesites in Rockies, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Rev. Unryu Sugiyama and Rev. Harold Oda of the Tri-State Buddhist Church drove 1,200 miles filming Nikkei gravesites in Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas for a report to the Buddhist Churches of America. Local church members welcomed them and joined them at many sites.
- What happened in August and September events calendar, by P.C. Staff, page 3. This column summarizes August chapter news and lists upcoming September and October chapter events across the country. Items include the Washington D.C. JACL picnic, Issei appreciation dinners, and a Philadelphia seminar on aging.
- Issei-Senior Citizens Appreciation Day, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The West Los Angeles JACL and Auxiliary will host an Issei-Senior Citizens Appreciation Day on Sept. 7 at the Felicia Mahood Recreation Center. The program will honor elders who sacrificed for the present generation.
- Downtown L.A. JACL honors naturalized Issei, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Downtown Los Angeles JACL chapter will honor naturalized Issei of Southern California at a luncheon marking two decades of citizenship on Sept. 20. INS district director Joseph Sureck will speak at the event.
JACL
- ’76 JACL bowling meet planned for San Francisco, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The 1976 National JACL Bowling Tournament has been tentatively scheduled at the Nihon Bowl in San Francisco’s Japantown during the Aki Matsuri Festival in September. Stan Hayakawa serves as JACL staff liaison for the event.
- Wayne Horiuchi reparations campaign, by Wayne Horiuchi, page 3. Washington representative Wayne Horiuchi outlines political considerations for the JACL reparations campaign ahead of the California Tri-District Convention. He stresses building a firm consensus among JACLers on the type of reparations to seek, such as individual payments or a trust fund.
- JACL Vietnamese celebrate WIMBO festivities, by Tomoko Yano, page 3. The second WIMBO Day celebration at Hill Air Force Base in Ogden, Utah drew Asian, Indian, Mexican, and Black groups for entertainment and cultural exchange. Organizers hoped the event would foster understanding among minority communities.
- Collegiate scholarship winners announced, by P.C. Staff, page 3. JACL’s National Scholarship Committee announced the 1975 Collegiate Scholarship recipients, including Michael Okimura, Howard Esaki, Kenneth Miyata, and Ralph Maeda. Each recipient’s academic record and community activities are described.
National
- Rice bill seeks lower prices, by Leslie Hiraoka, page 1. The Rice Act of 1974 died at the end of the last Congress amid a fight between rice-growing states opposed to open production and food-aid and consumer groups favoring it. A new rice bill has been introduced in the current Congress, and JACL found itself allied with other ethnic consumer groups in favoring higher production and lower prices.
- JACL’s tax-exempt status, by Wayne Horiuchi, page 2. Washington representative Wayne Horiuchi reports on Rep. Richard Ottinger’s bill that removes restrictions on lobbying by nonprofit organizations, noting that business groups may deduct lobbying expenses while charities face limits. JACL is monitoring the bill to protect its tax-exempt status.
Obituaries
- Cazadero murder suspect Henry Yamaguchi recalled, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A civic funeral was held in Cazadero, California for the ashes of the Kendall family, murdered in 1910 and never solved. Sonoma County deputies had sought Henry Yamaguchi, a Japanese woodcutter who disappeared when the crime was discovered.
Incarceration & Redress
- Jerome camp residents hold reunion, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Over 150 former residents of Block 15 at the Jerome WRA relocation center met in Fresno for a 30-year reunion. Awards were given for coming farthest, oldest attendee, and most children.
Commentary
- Chapters are the key element to an effective JACL, by Harry K. Honda, page 2. The author reports on visits to San Francisco-area chapters and praises their high level of participation and dedication during the summer. He highlights the newly formed Marin County Chapter’s successful wine tasting event and the Contra Costa chapter’s work with Vietnamese refugees.
- Letters from Tokyo, by Gail Nishioka, page 2. Two JACL-JAL Cultural Heritage Fellowship recipients, Joanne Fujita and Takashi Fujii, write from Tokyo about their summer session experiences. They describe sightseeing, kabuki, ikebana, and friendships with Japanese and Southeast Asian students.
- From the frying pan: The other China, by Bill Hosokawa, page 2. Columnist Bill Hosokawa describes a visit to Taipei, Taiwan, noting the Nationalist government’s prosperity and the renewed air traffic agreement with Japan. He also recounts the Taiwanese cultural and language ties to Japan and an amusing shoe-shining experience.
Military & Veterans
- Army ROTC: Two big days in your life, by P.C. Staff, page 3. This advertisement-style piece promotes Army ROTC, describing scholarships, a monthly stipend, and the commission earned upon graduation. Readers are invited to request more information.
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