Thanksgiving 1959: gratitude, a cartoon protest and typhoon relief

Vol. 49, No. 22, November 27, 1959. 8 pages. View this issue

A Thanksgiving editorial opened this issue, asking readers to be more thankful and recalling how the holiday began. Elsewhere on the front page, Cleveland JACL president Joe Kadowaki protested the use of the word “Japs” in Al Capp’s Lil Abner strip, and Mike Masaoka also protested. A memorial tower to Nisei who died serving the United States was dedicated in Santa Monica, and the California Board of Education set a September 1964 deadline for campus groups to drop discriminatory clauses.

Larry S. Tajiri wrote on the sale of James Michener’s novel Hawaii for a 1961 film and profiled the dancer Sono Osato. Richard Akagi’s column took up the Nisei and the lack of a native tongue. Chicago raised $9,200.50 for Japan typhoon victims, and 242 tons of food and clothing sailed from the Bay Area. Chapter news and sports fill the rest, and the deadline for the holiday issue was extended to December 7.

What’s in this issue

Commentary

• Let us be more thankful, by H.H., page 1. The editorial reflects on gratitude, contrasting the humble thankfulness of the Pilgrims with the comfort and complacency of modern life. It recalls the history of Thanksgiving and warns that modern technology may be weakening the moral fiber needed for survival.
• Not even a myth about Santa, by P.C. Staff, page 2. An editorial reprinted from the Alhambra Post Advocate responds to semantics expert Dr. S.I. Hayakawa’s advice that parents should never lie to children. It questions how parents can avoid myths like Santa Claus without undermining a child’s imagination.
• Something else to be thankful for, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The editors report on the JACL Director’s proposals and International Relations policies about derogatory portrayals of Japanese people in mass media. The recommendations distinguish between racial propaganda warranting formal protest and political content outside JACL’s scope.
• No native tongue, by Richard Akagi, page 6. Richard Akagi argues that the Nisei lacks a native tongue, being deficient in both Japanese and English. He critiques the compliments Nisei receive for speaking English well, which he sees as condescending.
• Washington newsletter: Mayor’s conference Osaka, by Mike Masaoka, page 8. Masaoka reports on the fifth Japan-American Conference of Mayors and Chamber of Commerce Presidents held in Osaka. He highlights its origins with former Seattle Mayor William Devin and the roles of Nisei participants Masato Doi and Tom Okino.
• Sen. Fong to help select Hall of Fame choices for 1960, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Senator Hiram L. Fong was named a member of the College of Electors for the 1960 Hall of Fame for Great Americans. The electors make final selections from public nominations.

National

• Rule Cal. campus groups eliminate race bias by 1964, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The California Board of Education adopted a ban on discriminatory clauses in recognized state college student groups. Groups with such clauses have until September 1964 to remove them.

Military & Veterans

• Dedicate memorial tower to Nisei GIs, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A memorial tower honoring Nisei who died serving the United States was dedicated at Woodland Cemetery in Santa Monica. Speakers praised the courage and humility of the Nisei dead, and Buddhist and Christian representatives offered prayers.
• Nisei gridder Minamide sets Vacaville records, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Minamide scored four touchdowns against Lincoln to finish the season with 145 points for Vacaville. He also led the league in rushing with 1,735 yards.

Community

• Student works 48 hrs. outside study, lauded, by P.C. Staff, page 1. University of Utah student Lucky Kikushima, who worked 48 hours a week to support his family, was named Outstanding Sophomore Electrical Engineer for 1958-59. He received a plaque and an engraved certificate from Eta Kappa Nu.
• Lodi sister city ties with Kofu negotiated, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Lodi officials asked the Rev. Taro Goto to investigate a sister city relationship with Kofu, Japan, before he traveled to Japan. The city may soon establish ties with the grape-producing capital of Yamanashi Prefecture.
• Gala statehood celebrations this weekend in Honolulu to wind up with ondo parade, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Hawaii’s Admission Day celebrations included a Statehood Memorial program, a dedication ceremony, fireworks, and a lantern parade. The five-day festivities were planned by local leaders and the celebration committee.
• Tokyo reception of Rep. Inouye planned, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Aloha Club of Tokyo will host a reception for Rep. Daniel K. Inouye on December 4. Inouye is touring U.S. military installations in the Far East.
• Salt Lake Nisei in Temple U. honor group, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Joe Ono was elected to the John A. Kolmer Honorary Medical Society at Temple University School of Dentistry. Membership recognizes scholastic achievement, character, and interest in the medical aspects of dentistry.
• Nisei commands ROTC brigade in Oakland, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Cadet Lt. Col. Harvey Shinomoto of Castlemont High School was named commanding officer of the Oakland public schools’ ROTC brigade. He won the promotion through competitive field trials.
• Man Wakasugi named to school district board, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Mamaro Wakasugi, an active Snake River JACLer, was named to the non-high school district board of directors. The district will cease to exist on June 30, 1960.
• New worker added to aid Japanese war bride group, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The International Institute in San Francisco added Chizuko Tsutsui to its staff to assist Japanese war brides and Japan-born residents. She will also advise the Japanese American Club.
• Keys to city of Reno, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Reno Mayor Bud Baker presented the keys to the city to a JACL representative at a council meeting. The gesture recognized the community’s contributions.
• JACL to present chapter recognition awards, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A chapter banquet will introduce advisory board members and present newly established recognition awards for community service, membership service, and JACL programs. Newly elected chapter members will also be installed.
• Labor TV show wins plaudits from JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 3. JACL legal counsel Frank Chuman and Miss Nisei Week 1959 Faith Higurashi appeared on the Retail Clerks Union’s 770 on TV program. Chuman presented a JACL resolution praising the union’s civil rights efforts.
• East L.A. to host Cheer benefit dance, by P.C. Staff, page 3. East Los Angeles JACL will hold its annual Christmas Cheer benefit dance on December 5 at Old Dixie. Proceeds will support community charity efforts.
• Ken Tamura takes Mt. Olympus gavel, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Ken Tamura was installed as 1960 president of the Mt. Olympus JACL in Salt Lake City. Other officers were also sworn in at the dinner meeting.
• ‘Night in Japan’ program presented at library, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Cleveland JACL sponsored a Night in Japan program at the Cleveland Public Library, featuring exhibits, talent, a doll display, and music. It was part of a folklore series presented by the library.
• Bussei queen, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Emi Tanaka of San Jose was chosen Miss Bussei of the Coast District at the 14th annual conference. She is a 22-year-old San Jose resident.
• John Yoshino serves on Urban League panel, by P.C. Staff, page 4. John Yoshino of the President’s Committee on Government Contracts served as a panelist at an Equal Opportunity Day observance sponsored by the Canton, Ohio Urban League. Other panelists addressed civil rights and opportunity.
• Fowler JACL names Hiyama president, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Kazuo Hiyama was elected 1960 president of the Fowler JACL, with a full slate of officers. The chapter also planned a Christmas party for children and entered a decorated car in the Fowler Fall Festival.
• Chicago community sends $9,200 for aid to typhoon victims, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Japanese American Council in Chicago raised $9,200.50 for the Japan Flood Relief Fund and turned it over to the Consulate of Japan for the Japan Red Cross. The drive was in response to damage caused by Typhoon Vera.
• Japan Foods Corp. moves to larger quarters, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Japan Foods Corp., the largest Issei-Nisei food importing and exporting firm in the U.S., held an open house at its new San Francisco quarters. The company formed from a merger of Pacific Trading Co. and Modern Food Products.
• Aid for typhoon victims, by P.C. Staff, page 6. A container of 242 tons of food and clothing donated by Bay Area groups and individuals was shipped to Japan for typhoon victims aboard the SS President Hoover. The goods were sent to the Japanese Red Cross in Tokyo.
• Westminster shopping center opens, by P.C. Staff, page 7. A 40-acre shopping center owned by Kunika Nakawatase opened in Westminster with new tenants including Kress Store and Bank of America. Consul Shinichi Utsumisto attended the ceremonies.
• Newsletter: Los Angeles (Henry Mori), by Henry Mori, page 7. Henry Mori reports on Eddie Okuda’s push for stronger Pasadena-Mishima sister city relations and on Japanese translation work in American universities. He also reflects on a family accident and the Southwest JACL Christmas Cheer benefit.
• Nisei chemist wins Worcester award, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Dr. Thomas T. Sugihara, assistant professor of chemistry at Clark University, received the 1959 Admiral Ralph Earle Award from the Worcester Engineering Society. He was honored for his work in radiochemistry and nuclear reactions.
• Nisei installed pastor of all-Caucasian congregation, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Rev. James S. Osuga was installed as pastor of the Fayette Christian Church in Ohio. He is serving an all-Caucasian congregation after earning his divinity degree from Capital University.
• Judge Aiso praises Southland police, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Superior Court Judge John F. Aiso praised Los Angeles-area law enforcement officers at a Long Beach community meeting. He called for better training and pay to attract capable officers.
• Nisei doctor authors book on Alaska frontier, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Dr. Clifford Uyeda, a Kaiser Hospital pediatrician, published The Deer Mountain, a novel about a youth’s summer in Alaska. Uyeda himself spent six months working in Alaska.

JACL

• Advertising deadline for holiday PC Dec. 7, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The deadline for news stories, chapter reports, and advertising for the 1959 holiday issue was extended to December 7. The theme will be JACL planning for 1960-70, the focus of the 1960 national convention in Sacramento.
• Lil Abner cartoon use of ‘Japs’ charged as appalling incident by Cleveland JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Cleveland JACL president Joe Kadowaki protested the use of the word ‘Japs’ in Al Capp’s Lil Abner comic strip. He urged members to write to the newspaper and syndicate, and Washington representative Mike Masaoka also protested.

Arts & Entertainment

• Issei-Nisei story in ‘Hawaii’, by Larry S. Tajiri, page 3. James Michener’s novel Hawaii, featuring an Issei immigrant and his sons who served in a Japanese American combat unit, was bought by the Mirisch Company for a 1961 film production. The Issei-Nisei storyline is considered among the most important in the novel.
• Sono Osato profile, by Larry S. Tajiri, page 3. Sono Osato, a Nisei dancer from Omaha, rose from the Ballet Russe to Broadway stardom and TV roles. The article traces her career, including her award-winning performance in On the Town.
• Hero Tamura paints Europe and California, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Painter Hero Tamura, a native of Tacoma, studied at the Chouinard Art Institute and in Paris before returning to care for his family. He now runs a plant nursery while continuing to paint landscapes of European and Mexican scenes.
• Taro Yashima’s exhibit opens at Long Beach library, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The second joint art show of Mitsu and Taro Yashima opened at the Bay Shore Library in Long Beach, featuring works from the last twenty years. Taro Yashima’s five-panel mural remains a permanent display.

Sports

• Long Beach basketball tourney schedule set, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Long Beach District JACL invitational basketball tournament at Long Beach City College will run November 27 and 28. The schedule lists games, consolation, and championship playoffs.

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