Chapter installations and a convention call in the 1966 JACL season

Vol. 62, No. 6, February 11, 1966. 6 pages. View this issue

JACL chapter installation season filled the front page of this six-page issue. Dinners in Washington D.C., Detroit, Santa Barbara, Livingston-Merced and San Benito County swore in new leaders, and the paper reported on speakers including Capt. Allan Bosworth, Akiji Yoshimura and Governor George Romney. A booklet committee urged chapters to place greetings before the March 30 deadline for the 19th Biennial national JACL convention in San Diego, and Tad Imoto promised sunny weather for convention week. Lt. Hubert Yoshida, USMC, wrote about the first death in his platoon in Vietnam.

Inside are columns by Mike Masaoka on the Senate filibuster, Bill Hosokawa on Japan Week in Denver, and Bill Marutani, plus a debate over whether Japanese fishermen reached the Americas. Page 5 covers the national JACL bowling tournament in San Francisco, and page 6 reports on Issei seeking a voice on the Los Angeles anti-poverty board.

What’s in this issue

Community

• AD DEADLINE FOR CONVENTION BOOKLET NEARS, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL Convention booklet committee urges chapters to place display ads and greetings before the March 30 deadline. Paul Hoshi, booklet advertising manager, noted that only a few JACL units had responded so far.
• No Rain during Convention Week, by Tad Imoto, page 1. Convention Board member Tad Imoto reports that San Diego’s rainy season is over, predicting sunny weather for convention week. He also announces the package deal price and details of the events included.
• Anti-Nisei Myths of WW2 Exploded at Snowstormed D.C. Installation, by Aki Sano, page 1. Capt. Allan Bosworth told the Washington D.C. JACL installation dinner that no person of Japanese ancestry engaged in espionage on the West Coast during WWII. He said the Navy and federal agencies knew the real spies were diplomats.
• Nisei Also ‘Demonstrated’ for Equal Rights, Yoshimura Reminds, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Akiji Yoshimura spoke at the Livingston-Merced JACL installation, urging Nisei to recognize their history of fighting for civil rights. He warned that growing comfort risks complacency toward ongoing injustice.
• Marutani Speech to Be Highlight, by P.C. Staff, page 1. William Marutani, JACL national legal counsel, will deliver a report on civil rights at the Chicago JACL Brotherhood Day dinner. The event will also feature bamboo crafts and traditional Japanese dancing.
• Gov. Romney Pays Detroit JACL Visit, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The 20th annual Detroit JACL installation featured a surprise visit from Governor George Romney and an address by Dr. Thomas Yatabe. Numerous silver pins and certificates of appreciation were awarded.
• Terasaki Installed by San Benito County, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Ryo Terasaki was installed as president of the San Benito County JACL chapter. District Attorney John O’Brien spoke on the effects of recent court decisions on law enforcement.
• A Word About Stockton, by Bill Shima, page 4. Bill Shima invites NC-WNDC members to the first quarterly district session in Stockton. He describes the city’s history, its growing port and agriculture, and the Japanese Garden at Micke Grove.
• Jack London’s Japanese Valet Began Red Flower Tribute Still Being Observed, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A Herb Caen column revived memories of Tokinosuke Sekine, Jack London’s Japanese servant who placed a red flower on the writer’s pillow after his death. The tribute continues at the London home in Glen Ellen.
• Dr. Akira Tajiri of Reedley Honored as Optometrist of Year, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Dr. Akira Tajiri of Reedley was named Optometrist of the Year by the Central California Optometric Society. Assemblyman Charles Garrigus presented the award for his service to the public and profession.
• 1967 Dates for Nisei Veterans Reunion Set, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Tentative dates for the 1967 national all-Nisei veterans reunion in Honolulu have been set for June 10-15. The dates were chosen to avoid the peak tourist season.
• Pasadena JACL Installs Mary Yusa, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Pasadena JACL installed Mary Yusa as re-elected president at a dinner in Chinatown. Harris Ozawa received a national outstanding membership certificate.
• Issei Aged to Vote in Anti-Poverty Election, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Petitions were filed by the Little Tokyo Senior Citizens group to seat an Issei representative on the Los Angeles anti-poverty board. County-wide elections are set for March 1, with unusual voter eligibility rules.

JACL

• JACL Chapter Inaugural Season Waning, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Multiple JACL chapters held installation dinners in January and early February, honoring outgoing officers and swearing in new leaders. Highlights included speeches, silver pin awards, and community guests.
• Tokumaru Re-elected Santa Barbara Head, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Richard Tokumaru was re-elected president of the Santa Barbara JACL at a well-attended installation banquet. Japanese Consul General Toshiro Shimanouchi and other local dignitaries attended.

Military & Veterans

• ‘First Death’ Strikes the Men of Lt. Yoshida’s Platoon, by Lt. Hubert Yoshida, USMC, page 1. Marine Lieutenant Hubert Yoshida recounts the death of Van Schuyler, the first man in his platoon killed in Vietnam. He describes the emotional reactions of the men and their struggle to accept mortality.

Commentary

• What Do You Mean?, by Todd Endo, page 2. Todd Endo questions the vague use of terms like ‘too Americanized’ and ‘Japanese heritage’ in discussions about Sansei identity. He argues such phrases obscure the real issues and lack meaning for younger generations.
• Anglicizing a Japanese Name, by Newton K. Wesley, page 2. Dr. Newton Wesley, born Uyesugi, recounts how his family name was a constant obstacle and how he legally changed it to Wesley in 1944. He reflects on the reactions of family, friends, and his own sense of identity.
• Draft Dodgers, by Ken Kuroiwa, page 2. Ken Kuroiwa, writing from West Germany, praises a previous Pacific Citizen editorial on draft dodgers. He says it helped clarify his own difficult position on the Vietnam War.
• Washington Newsletter: Right-to-Work Filibuster, by Mike Masaoka, page 2. Mike Masaoka analyzes the Senate filibuster over repealing Section 14(b) of the Taft-Hartley Act. He explains the cloture votes, the political stakes for labor and Democrats, and the states with right-to-work laws.
• Bill Hosokawa: From the Frying Pan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 3. Bill Hosokawa describes Japan Week festivities in Denver, including a Japanese woodblock exhibit and an award to Seishiro Nakamura. He also reflects humorously on turning another birthday.
• Flaw in ‘Japanese’ Discovery, by Allan Beekman, page 3. Allan Beekman argues that press reports wrongly claimed Japanese discovered the Americas 5,000 years ago. He says the original Scientific American article never called the Jomon people Japanese and that the claim misreads the evidence.
• Live and Let Live, by Bill Marutani, page 4. Bill Marutani argues against the church doctrine blaming Jews for Christ’s crucifixion, calling it a poisonous perversion. He points to Joseph of Arimathaea’s act of burial as a counterexample to such accusations.

In-Depth

• Who Really ‘Discovered’ America: Norsemen, Italian or the Japanese?, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The article examines claims that Norse explorers, Italians, or Japanese fishermen first reached the Americas. It focuses on Smithsonian research linking Jomon pottery in Ecuador to Japanese fishermen drifting across the Pacific.

Sports

• 100 Men’s, 44 Women’s Teams Sign for National JACL Bowling Tourney, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A total of 144 teams are entered in the 20th Anniversary JACL National Nisei Bowling Tournament in San Francisco March 7-12. Hawaii Bowling Club No. 1 has the highest team average at 994.
• Once a Champ-Always a Champ, by Marion Dunn, page 5. Salt Lake bowler Maki Kaizumi overcame a 1963 stroke that paralyzed his right side to return to bowling. He now averages 160 and hopes his story will encourage others facing hardship.

Thank you for exploring the Pacific Citizen archive. The title, introduction and contents on this page were written by an AI model from scans of the printed issue, so they may contain mistakes. If you spot one, we would be grateful if you let us know.