California historic sites, JACL chapter news and the atomic bomb survivors bill

Vol. 90, No. 76, January 18, 1980. 8 pages. View this issue

The front page carried news of 27 more sites of historical significance to California Japanese, listed for the State’s Office of Historic Preservation. They include Nihonmachi in Fresno and San Francisco, the Yamato Colony at Livingston and the Harada House in Riverside. Page one also reported on Dr. John D. Ishii, named president of St. Martin’s College, and on Yoshinori H. T. Himel, who was appointed to head a new civil rights unit in Sacramento. Karl Nobuyuki wrote on HR 1924, a bill to assist atomic bomb survivors, and Clifford Uyeda described a trip that included Tokyo and Hawaii.

Inside are chapter installation reports from Gardena Valley, French Camp, Marysville, Monterey Peninsula, Riverside, San Jose and West Valley. Bill Hosokawa and Sachi Seko wrote lighter columns on page five, and readers’ letters on page four responded to the Holiday Issue.

What’s in this issue

Community

• 27 Historic Sites to California Nikkei Named, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Japanese American team of the ethnic minority cultural resources survey identified 27 additional sites of historical significance to California Japanese for the State’s Office of Historic Preservation. The sites span numerous counties and reflect diverse economic, religious, educational, and recreational aspects of prewar Japanese American community life, including three sites tied to discriminatory actions.
• Nisei Layman Appointed Head of Benedictine Order’s College, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Dr. John D. Ishii became the first layman president in the 85-year history of St. Martin’s College in Lacey, Washington, beginning a five-year term. The Puyallup Valley JACLer previously had a 15-year government career and has taught political science at St. Martin’s since 1973.
• Elderly Asians Receiving SSI Warned About Trips, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The S.F. Neighborhood Legal Assistance Foundation warns elderly Asians receiving SSI benefits to be cautious about leaving the country, as INS continues a policy of confiscating green cards from those who travel abroad. New guidelines issued in 1979 list five factors INS inspectors should consider, but advocates say increased public pressure is needed to change the underlying exclusion policy.
• Oral History Project in Fresno Underway, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A local oral history program administered by the San Joaquin Valley Library System is interviewing Japanese who lived in the San Joaquin Valley before the war. Project director Yoshino Hasegawa is seeking both interviewees and volunteer interviewers.
• Tulare County to Host CCDC Meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Tulare County JACL will host the winter Central California District Council session on Feb. 3 at the Marco Polo Restaurant in Visalia, with Gov. Stanley Nagata presiding. Reservations for the $6.75 luncheon are being handled by Tom Shimasaki.
• Knitting Club (Amimono Kai) Donates Benefit Proceeds, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Amimono Kai knitting club held a benefit luncheon fashion show last spring that raised $2,530, split between Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles and the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center. JACCC treasurer Mitsuhiko Shimizu accepted a $1,265 check from club founder Mrs. Fumi Nishizaki.
• Gardena Valley JACL Installs New President, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Assemblyman Paul Bannai presented a resolution to outgoing Gardena Valley JACL president Mas Odoi during the 1980 installation dinner, while incoming president John Fujikawa was installed. Guest speaker John Saito, PSW JACL regional director, also attended.
• Californian Heads Hawaii’s Oldest Christian Church Group, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Rev. Teruo Kawata was installed as general secretary-conference minister of the Hawaii Conference of the United Church of Christ at a ceremony at Kawaiahao Church attended by over 1,000 people. A California-born Nisei who was removed to a WW2 detention camp, Kawata previously ministered in Los Angeles and Hawaii before returning to California in 1977.
• PC People, by P.C. Staff, page 3. This roundup column reports on Japanese Americans in elections, government appointments, and media, including Kay Miyamura’s school board win, Dr. Melvin Takaki’s reelection in Pueblo, Colo., and appointments of Ted Inouye, Ruby Yoshino Schaar, Hitoshi Shinoda, and Richard Ando to various posts. It also notes Chicago Sansei Gene Honda’s appointment as news director of FM station K-104.
• JACCC Phase I Construction Ending, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Phase I of the construction plan for the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center building in Los Angeles has been completed and is nearly ready for occupancy. The JACCC office was the initial occupant this past week.
• French Camp JACL Re-elects President, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Hiroshi Shinmoto was re-elected president of French Camp JACL and will be installed along with his cabinet during a community New Year’s party. J.D. Hokoyama, associate national director, will install the officers.
• Marysville JACL Installs Nakao as President Again, by P.C. Staff, page 6. George Nakao was chosen Marysville JACL president for a second time (first in 1957) and installed during the chapter’s 45th anniversary dinner. National JACL President Clifford Uyeda was keynote speaker, with Mas Oji as emcee and Sakaye Takabayashi as dinner chairperson.
• Monterey Peninsula JACL Installation and Health Fair, by P.C. Staff, page 6. John Y. Gota, a longtime JACLer and 1971 Citizenship Award recipient, will be installed as Monterey Peninsula JACL president at a dinner with Rep. Leon Panetta as scheduled guest speaker. The chapter also recently hosted a community event with a health fair supported by local Nikkei physicians including Dr. Hisashi Kajikuri and other health professionals.
• Riverside JACL Installation and Local Art Show, by P.C. Staff, page 6. John Tateishi, national JACL director, will speak at the Riverside JACL installation dinner in February at UC Riverside’s Faculty Club. Local JACLer Bob Meltzer’s 12th annual watercolor show opened at the Edward Dean Museum and will remain on view through the month.
• San Jose JACL Discusses Redress Bill, Community Updates, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Rep. Norman Mineta was scheduled to meet with San Jose JACL members to discuss the redress bill and the Iranian situation at a board and general membership meeting. The chapter also held a year-end senior party and a well-attended mochitsuki event, with Scott Momii appointed new JACSS director.
• West Valley JACL to Install 1980 Officers, by P.C. Staff, page 6. West Valley JACL will install its 1980 officers at Pinehurst Restaurant in San Jose, with Ed Kawahara as incoming president. Tickets are available through Tom Miyamoto.

National

• JACLer Heads New Civil Rights Unit, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Yoshinori H. T. Himel, a JACLer formerly with the Justice Department, was appointed assistant U.S. attorney in charge of a newly created civil rights unit in Sacramento. He will also monitor possible civil rights violations against persons of Iranian descent.
• Greater Pacific State With Hawaii as Base Visualized, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Honolulu Advertiser speculated that changing political boundaries could eventually create a ‘Greater Pacific State’ including Hawaii as U.S. Trust Territory islands become fragmented into separate political entities. The Northern Marianas, Guam, and Micronesian island groups are each negotiating different political statuses with the United States.
• Japan Firms in U.S. Employ 81,300 Residents, by P.C. Staff, page 8. A Japan Society study found that Japanese firms in the United States directly employ an estimated 81,300 local residents, with each Japanese businessman in the U.S. creating approximately eight additional American jobs. The study also found Japanese firms import roughly $12 billion worth of goods annually, with automobile retail distribution alone employing an estimated 113,500 Americans.

JACL

• Where Were They When This Was Taken? …, by P.C. Staff, page 1. An uncaptioned photo shows the late Chiyo and Henry Kuwahara of Los Angeles, who willed JACL $267,000 to establish a scholarship program for college students. The article notes 1980 scholarship brochures are now available and that JACL welcomes bequests from members like the Kuwaharas.

Commentary

• The Nisei Who Do Not Have ‘It’ Made, by Karl Nobuyuki, page 2. JACL’s national director discusses the long-delayed effort to aid the Committee for Atomic Bomb Survivors (CABS), noting that the small number of survivors (500-700) face severe medical and psychological challenges without adequate assistance. He highlights the irony that the U.S. government spent $90 million helping survivors in Japan while American citizen survivors receive no such aid, and urges support for HR 1924.
• JACL in Tokyo and Hawaii, by Clifford Uyeda, page 4. National JACL President Clifford Uyeda reflects on a month-long trip through Asia, including meetings with Nisei and Sansei in Tokyo interested in forming a JACL chapter there led by Barry Saiki. He also discusses efforts by Earl Nishimura and Jack Wakayama to establish JACL chapters in Hawaii, which currently has no JACL representation despite having 40% of Japanese Americans unrepresented.
• Santa Gertrudes, by Harry Honda, page 4. The editor recalls suggesting the historic name ‘Santa Gertrudes’ for what became Selanoco JACL 15 years ago, reflecting on a chapter installation dinner where Jeffrey Matsui was introduced as new regional director. He also apologizes for omissions in the Chapter Presidents list published in the New Year special issue.
• 1930 Convention Picture Letters, by Sally Slocum, Seichi ‘Bud’ Konzo, page 4. Two readers respond to the Holiday Issue’s 1930 JACL Convention photo, with Sally Slocum identifying Akira Horikoshi and noting several pictured delegates have since passed away. Seichi ‘Bud’ Konzo shares extensive memories of the 1930 Seattle convention, listing Nisei contemporaries who went on to notable careers and recalling a notable speech by Tokutaro Slocum.
• Comments & Letters: Christmas Cheer, by Tak Endo, page 4. Tak Endo, 1979 Christmas Cheer Chair for Pan Asian JACL, thanks donors and volunteers for the successful Christmas Cheer fundraising project in PSWDC. He shares an anecdote about a grateful recipient and credits Chris Naito, Kathy Chono, and Dale Akutagawa for their efforts.
• Comments & Letters: Holiday Issue Praise, by J. Harley Galusha, page 4. A reader from Tulsa, Okla. requests additional copies of the 1979 Holiday Issue to send to his daughter studying in Japan and a former college roommate, enclosing payment. The editor’s note clarifies pricing and availability of extra copies.
• Comments & Letters: San Francisco JACL Ad Thanks, by William Kyono, page 4. The San Francisco JACL Holiday Issue coordinator thanks the paper for ad placement and acknowledges several volunteers who helped solicit Holiday Issue ads. He names Hisashi Takiguchi, Grace Tsuchiya, Donna Kawamoto, and Mary Kyono for their assistance.
• Comments & Letters: ‘Okichi’ Series Discussion, page 4. A reader discusses the historical figure Okichi referenced in an earlier Pacific Citizen series, citing a Japanese-English dictionary translation and a Glenn Shaw play rendering. The letter suggests Okichi may have been less pitiable than popular legend depicts, based on historical accounts of Western visitors to Japan.
• A Pair of Christmas Shoes, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa recounts a humorous family story of an elderly writer whose daughters conspired with his wife to buy him new shoes for Christmas, with each daughter gift-wrapping one shoe. A shoe store mix-up resulted in him receiving mismatched shoes before discovering he’d actually been given two full pairs, with the twist that he had paid for the original pair himself.
• A Rare Prize: 100,000-Mile Car, by Sachi Seko, page 5. Seko humorously describes her husband’s quest to drive his aging car to 100,000 miles despite its poor gas mileage and frequent repairs, with their son refusing to ride along out of safety concerns. She reflects on the value of pursuing seemingly foolish goals and adventures as a new decade begins.
• ABS Legislation Update, by Karl Nobuyuki, page 5. This continuation of Nobuyuki’s column notes that HR 1924, a bill to assist atomic bomb survivors, has been forwarded to a House Judiciary subcommittee chaired by Rep. George Danielson, who has hinted at hearings in March. Readers are urged to write Danielson encouraging him to move the bill forward.
• Keeping JACL ‘National’, by Bill Yoshino, page 6. Yoshino discusses the importance of JACL’s national scope, noting chapters exist in most major cities east of the Rockies and that the organization maintains staff offices outside California. He argues members must think beyond local chapter concerns to fully realize JACL’s potential as a national advocacy organization.

In-Depth

• Japanese Vernaculars: A Community Binder, by Lester E. Suzuki, page 4. Suzuki argues for the continued importance of Japanese vernacular newspapers, listing five reasons including community unity, comprehensive news coverage, death notices, coverage of issues affecting Nikkei, and modest subscription costs. He encourages Nisei and Sansei who don’t currently subscribe to support these papers.

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