Junior Miss title denied and the Bakke case

Vol. 86, No. 3, January 27, 1978. 12 pages. View this issue

Phuong-Ngoc Davis, a 17-year-old Vietnamese teenager, won the Touchet Valley Junior Miss title and then lost it because she was not a U.S. citizen. The story ran on the front page, and Ed Yamamoto and Holly Patrick each wrote in her defense on pages 4 and 5. Pacific Northwest JACL leaders were working to have the citizenship rule removed. The front page also reported that Air Force Capt. Ellison Onizuka, a Nisei, was among 35 new astronauts. Page 9 printed excerpts from the Bakke oral argument on how Asian Americans fit into minority admissions programs.

Inside are columns by Harry K. Honda on a JACL staff workshop, Bill Hosokawa on quietly dedicated Nikkei, and Sachi Seko on Helen Kawagoe. Part Ten of the Japanese Canadian Experience series covers the 1942 removal from the Pacific Coast. Page 10 carries a profile of surgeon Dr. Teruo Hirose, and local chapter news fills pages 6 to 8.

What’s in this issue

National

• Nisei astronaut selected, page 1. Air Force Capt. Ellison Onizuka, 32, was among 35 new astronauts named by the Space Agency, which for the first time included six women and three black men. Onizuka, a Nisei born in Kealakekua, Hawaii, will serve as a mission specialist on future shuttle flights.
• Deprived of Title, page 1. Phuong-Ngoc Davis, a 17-year-old Vietnamese teen, lost her Touchet Valley Junior Miss title because she was not a U.S. citizen. Pacific Northwest JACL leaders are working to have the citizenship requirement removed for Junior Miss entrants.
• U.S. Supreme Court denies hearings, but acquits Chin, page 1. The Supreme Court refused to review Elizabeth Young Chin’s gun conviction tied to alleged threats against Emperor Hirohito’s 1975 visit, but directed the acquittal of her husband Kenneth Chin. The Chins were supported by Asian American legal and community groups.
• Judge orders retrial for Narciso-Perez, page 1. A federal judge in Detroit ordered a new trial for Filipina Narciso and Leonora Perez, citing numerous prosecutorial improprieties. The judge said the misconduct damaged the presumption of innocence.
• Bakke argument excerpts on Asian Americans, page 9. Excerpts from the Bakke oral argument show Solicitor General McCree and counsel Archibald Cox discussing the inclusion of Asian Americans in minority admissions programs. Justices questioned whether the record showed Asian American disadvantage.

Community

• Nomination was ‘for hometown’, page 1. Los Angeles County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn nominated Helen Kawagoe for county assessor but later withdrew her name in favor of Alexander Pope. Kawagoe remains unopposed in the spring election for Carson city clerk.
• Senior citizens project for Nisei formed in Little Tokyo, page 1. The Japanese Community Pioneer Center in Los Angeles launched a Nisei Senior Citizens Project with CETA funding to address the needs of aging Nisei. The project notes about 15,000 Nisei are already of retirement age.
• San Joseans to honor Senryu poet, page 1. Charles Erabu Mikami, recently decorated by the Japanese government for contributions to U.S.-Japan relations through art and poetry, will be honored at a community dinner in San Jose. He leads Bay Area Senryu writers.
• Sakaguchi appointed to Idaho Falls city council, by Kathy Buckland, page 1. Sam S. Sakaguchi was unanimously appointed to the Idaho Falls City Council, becoming the first Japanese American to hold a seat there. The former JACL president and American Legion commander will serve until the end of 1979.
• Las Vegas JACL to host NC-WNDC first quarterly, page 2. The Northern California-Western Nevada JACL District Council will hold its first quarterly session in Las Vegas on Feb. 11, with an agenda including reparations and the 1978 budget. A reduced-fare weekend package was offered to attendees.
• JACL beckons public support for Asian American studies at Wash. State, page 2. Pacific Northwest JACL leaders asked the public to support an Asian American studies program at Washington State University, alleging discrimination. They filed a complaint with HEW and listed officials to contact.
• Consolidate your monthly payments with our consolidation loan, page 3. A short notice reports on Nisei and community news items including a Little Tokyo book fair raising funds for the Bookmobile. Brief items cover awards, appointments, and business news among Japanese Americans in the community.
• Pocatello JACL hall refurbished, page 6. Members of the Pocatello-Blackfoot JACL refurbished their memorial hall, repainting the interior and landscaping the grounds. Volunteers are credited for the work, and the hall hosted the New Year’s Eve party and mochitsuki.
• Midwest District gears for April, May & June, page 7. MDC Governor Lillian Kimura announced an April district business meeting in Chicago to address Convention issues and elect officers. Workshops on Sansei programming and intermarriage are planned for later in the spring.
• Fowler program for the year nailed down, by Thomas Toyama, page 8. The Fowler JACL outlined its 1978 program, including membership drive, scholarships, memorial services and graduation exercises. The article also covers the water shortage affecting local agri-business members.
• Fremont adds Issei party at installation, page 8. Fremont JACL combined its installation dinner with an Issei appreciation night, installing Dr. Walter Hashimoto as president. National Director Karl Nobuyuki spoke on the Japan-United States Friendship Act.
• City View accredited through 1979, page 10. City View Hospital in Los Angeles received maximum two-year accreditation from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals. The accreditation runs through Dec. 20, 1979.
• New method found to treat cancer, page 10. Tohoku University researchers in Sendai reported a method of treating cancer by raising blood pressure to increase blood flow to diseased areas before administering anticancer drugs. The findings were presented at the Japan Cancer Society meeting.

JACL

• JACL protests ‘Yellow Peril’ as trademark, page 1. The JACL Eastern District Civil Rights Committee urged the Patent and Trademark Office to deny a Washington, D.C. publication’s request for exclusive rights to the phrase ‘Yellow Peril.’ The letter documented the discriminatory history behind the term.

Obituaries

• EMMA BUCKMASTER: 1892-1978, page 2. Emma Buckmaster, a longtime friend of the Bakersfield Japanese community, died Jan. 15 at age 85. She taught at the local Japanese Methodist mission, aided evacuees during the war, and helped resettle Japanese families afterward.

Commentary

• A Time to Get Acquainted, by Harry K. Honda, page 4. Editor Harry Honda describes a JACL staff workshop at National Headquarters that brought together PC staff, regional directors and headquarters personnel. He reflects on the value of internal coordination and the need for fair treatment of staff.
• JACL Distaffers, by Masaru Odoi, page 4. Reader Masaru Odoi, responding to a Midwest District Council editorial on sexism, argues that gender roles and equal pay claims are overstated. He contends women’s liberation has harmed families and children.
• Jr. Miss Pageant, by Ed Yamamoto, page 4. Ed Yamamoto, immediate past governor of PNWDC, urges readers to contact Washington State Junior Miss officials to reinstate Phuong-Ngoc Davis. He argues officials should not have allowed her to enter and then disqualified her after she won.
• FROM HAPPY VALLEY: We’re Coming to Eat Cake, by Sachi Seko, page 4. Sachi Seko recalls her long friendship with Helen Kawagoe, from their Gila youth to Helen’s public career. She reflects on JACL’s grassroots disconnect and praises Helen’s leadership as a potential national president.
• Corner for Our Guests: Jr. Miss Judges Miss, by Holly Patrick, page 5. Holly Patrick argues that Phuong-Ngoc Davis should keep the Touchet Valley Junior Miss title because she was elected and lives the values of an American. She faults the pageant officials for poor judging and rule-keeping.
• From the Frying Pan: Out-of-the-Way Kind, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa profiles several quietly dedicated Nikkei, including Gordon Togasaki, George Morikami, and Rev. Kyuzo Miyaishi, who serve their communities away from public attention. He argues such people are overlooked by ethnic newspapers.
• Vision: a theme for JACL, by Shake Ushio, page 5. Shake Ushio argues that JACL survived because of visionary early leaders and urges renewed vision and unity. He introduces the theme ‘Vision’ for the 25th Biennial JACL Convention in Salt Lake City.
• SPEAKING OUT: The ‘Midwest Page’ in Retrospect, by Anna Eriko Peterson, page 7. Anna Eriko Peterson reflects on the first year of the MDC Page, describing the challenges of volunteer production and deadlines. She invites readers to comment on whether the page is meeting its purpose.

In-Depth

• Japanese Canadian Experience, Part Ten, page 5. This installment recounts the 1942 removal of Japanese Canadians from the Pacific Coast, their dispersal to road camps and interior detention, and the forced property sales. It also covers the postwar choice to resettle east or be deported to Japan and the late franchise.

Military & Veterans

• Nikkei surgeon works with patients who refuse all blood transfusions, by Lawrence Galton, page 10. A Parade Magazine feature profiles Dr. Teruo Hirose, a Tokyo-born New York surgeon known for speed and for operating on Jehovah’s Witnesses without blood transfusions. His techniques have advanced cardiac surgery and reduced blood loss for patients generally.

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