A June 1959 issue: blood for a boy, Hayakawa on stage, JACL board talk

Vol. 48, No. 26, June 26, 1959. 8 pages. View this issue

An urgent call for blood opened this eight-page issue. Two-year-old Wayne Yamamura of Idaho Falls needed 15 pints of rare B-Positive blood for heart surgery, and donors were asked to give through the Salt Lake JACL. Larry S. Tajiri reviewed Sessue Hayakawa’s New York stage show and traced his career from silent films to Bridge on the River Kwai. After the three-day National Board meeting, Masao Satow reported on its work and Dr. Jim Nagatani asked whether JACL’s goals needed redefining. Mike Masaoka praised the bill for an East-West University in Honolulu.

Also inside: chapter graduation dinners in Hollywood, Fremont and Bakersfield, and youth baseball in Berkeley and Los Angeles. A profile of Seattle attorney Clarence T. Arai and a review of The Complete Journal of Townsend Harris run on page 6, where sports notes cover a Nisei coxswain at Cornell. Readers will also find a Japanese Canadian history project and the Cleveland chapter’s record membership.

What’s in this issue

Commentary

• What’s So Foreign About ‘Aloha’, by H.H., page 1. The column observes that standard dictionaries classify many foreign words as English but still list Hawaiian words like ‘aloha’ as foreign. The writer hopes the word will lose its foreign designation as Hawaii becomes a state.
• Press Comments: No Need to Apologize, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Reprinting a Lethbridge Herald editorial, the piece reviews the treatment of Japanese Canadians after Pearl Harbor and their successful integration into Alberta society. It argues that Canada need not hold a ceremony like the United States restitution because they have already proven their worth.
• Past Presidents, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A letter provides a corrected list of Arizona JACL past presidents from 1940 to 1954, correcting discrepancies from a previous holiday issue. It names the officers year by year.
• Mention Pacific Citizen to Our Advertisers, by P.C. Staff, page 2. This section is a list of business advertisers and is not editorial content.
• Dr. Jim Nagatani, CCDC Chairman: National Board Reflections, by Dr. Jim Nagatani, page 5. Dr. Jim Nagatani, a new National Board member, reflects on the San Francisco meeting and argues JACL’s goals need redefinition now that overt racial challenges have eased. He suggests the organization should remain watchful and inform youth about JACL’s history and role.
• Washington Newsletter: East-West University, by Mike Masaoka, page 7. Mike Masaoka praises Delegate John A. Burns for sponsoring legislation to create an East-West University in Honolulu. He describes Burns’ record of support for Japanese Americans during and after World War II.

Community

• Call for Rare B-Positive Type Blood Made to Save Life of Idaho Falls 2-Year-Old Boy, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Little Wayne Yamamura, a two-year-old in Idaho Falls, needs heart surgery scheduled for July 2 that requires 15 pints of rare B-Positive blood. Donors are asked to give blood on July 1 at the LDS Hospital blood bank through the Salt Lake JACL.
• Freak Accident Kills Watsonville Cyclist, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Ten-year-old Albert Nozawa was struck and killed while riding his bicycle near his home on San Andreas Road when a speeding car skidded and rolled. The motorist swerved but the impact threw the boy more than 50 feet.
• Need of Strong JACL Organization Cited by Nisei Who Felt Housing Bias, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Dr. Andrew Yoshiwara, a Nisei war veteran, was able to buy a home in San Mateo’s Baywood area after the local JACL chapter intervened against delays. He credited the chapter with overcoming discrimination and the chapter president pledged continued support.
• Japanese Canadian History Project Given ‘Green Light’, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Japanese Canadian Citizens Association approved a project to write a history of Japanese Canadians, with Ken Adachi chosen as writer. A public fundraising campaign to raise $32,000 to $40,000 will begin in September.
• Orange County Cler Heads Poultrymen’s Group, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Bill Okuda, a former Orange County JACL president, was elected president of the Poultryman’s Cooperative Association, a marketing group for over 1,500 members. The cooperative operates across seven Southern California counties.
• Denver Youth Awarded Weather Study Grant, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Robert Shiozaki, 15, of Denver was one of 30 students selected nationally from 325 applicants for a National Science Foundation atmospheric sciences course at Loomis School. The seven-week program is in Windsor, Connecticut.
• French Camp Girl Wins State Sewing Contest, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Helen Shiromizu, 17, of French Camp won the state National Grange Sewing Contest and competed in the national finals in New York. She graduated as class salutatorian from Edison High School in Stockton.
• Berkeley JACL Youth Baseball Program, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Berkeley JACL completed its third year of youth baseball with its largest turnout of boys, with 27 in Pee Wee League and 21 in another division. Growing spectator interest and the boys’ development of skill and sportsmanship were highlighted.
• Cleveland Chapter Establishes New Membership Record with 328, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Cleveland JACL reported 328 members in 1959, surpassing its 1952 record, with 23 Thousanders also signed. Campaign co-chairmen noted the achievement despite a reduced membership pool since 1952.
• Hollywood Chapter to Honor Graduates, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Hollywood JACL will honor area graduates at an outdoor supper and square dance at Elysian Park Lodge. The event is open to the public and includes a Boy Scout court of honor.
• Fremont Chapter Treats Graduates to Dinner, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Fremont JACL hosted a graduation dinner honoring two university and fifteen high school and grammar school graduates. The chapter held the event at the newly completed banquet room of Holiday Bowl in Hayward.
• Bakersfield Chapter Fetes Local Area Graduates, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Bakersfield JACL held a weiner bake at Beale Park honoring five senior high and seven junior high graduates. Each graduate received a gift from chapter president Lloyd Kumataka.
• Charter Membership for Blood Bank Urged, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Long Beach JACL newsletter announced a June 30 deadline for charter membership in the Harbor District Japanese Community Blood Bank. Later joiners will face a 30-day waiting period before benefits begin.
• Santa Maria Picnic, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Santa Maria Valley JACL is sponsoring an outing at Waller Park on July 4 starting at 1 p.m. The event is a community gathering.
• Board Meeting Discussion on International Relations, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Mountain Plains district reports to the National Board on International Relations activities, including protests of derogatory films and entertainment of Japanese visitors. Chapters generally handled such matters on a personal basis, with TV protests conducted in some areas.
• Summer English Class at Dorsey for Foreign-Born, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Dorsey Adult School offers free summer English classes for foreign-born residents on Tuesday and Thursday evenings starting July 7. Students may enroll in beginning or advanced classes taught by named instructors.
• Mt. Olympus Fishing Derby, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Mt. Olympus JACL annual fishing derby is set for June 27 at Strawberry Reservoir with entry fees collected at Clark’s Camp. The contest runs until 6 p.m.
• Dr. Florence Uyeda Honored at Medical Graduation, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Dr. Florence Uyeda received a Mosby book award in obstetrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine graduation. She is the sister of JACL Headquarters administrative assistant Tey Uyeda.
• Kadowaki Keeps Busy Speaking on Nisei Before Businessmen’s Luncheons, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Cleveland JACL president Joe Kadowaki addressed three luncheon groups on Nisei problems and Hawaiian statehood. He also spoke at a St. Lawrence Seaway celebration on the benefits of international relations.
• Mt. Olympus Nominates Elaine Mitarai for Masaoka Scholarship, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Elaine Mitarai, an 18-year-old Payson High graduate, was chosen as the Mt. Olympus JACL candidate for the Pvt. Ben Frank Masaoka Memorial Scholarship. She maintained an A average and held many student leadership roles.
• JAY Inc. Campaign Fund Totals $13,000, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Japanese American Youth Inc. raised $13,313.98 in its first campaign to combat juvenile delinquency in Los Angeles. Over 40 social groups and businesses contributed, including the Pacific Southwest District JACL Council.
• All-White Congregation Appoints Nisei Minister, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Rev. Miles Shishido, a Rockefeller Foundation grant recipient, was appointed pastor of the all-white Rollo Congregational Church in Illinois. He will also pursue a Ph.D. at the University of Chicago.
• Barley Acreage Irrigated, Yields More Grain Than Unwatered Areas by 25 Pct., by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Ojji Brothers near Marysville irrigated 1,100 acres of barley, producing 4,300 pounds per acre. Unirrigated portions produced about 20 to 25 percent less grain.
• Sanatorium Founded for Japanese Tubercular Expanded to Hospital, by P.C. Staff, page 7. A sanatorium founded by Dr. Daishiro Kuroiwa for Japanese tuberculars has been expanded into the new Maryknoll Hospital and Sanatorium. Cardinal McIntyre dedicated the $1,000,000 facility.

National

• Toll Booths Okayed in State House in Aid to Housewives, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A bill passed by the California Assembly would let housewives receive cash instead of merchandise for trading stamps and require stamp companies to be licensed and bonded. The measure aims to protect customers from fly-by-night companies.
• Five Nisei Awarded Opportunity Grants, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Four Hawaii-born Nisei and one California-born Nisei were among 52 recipients of 1959 John Hay Whitney Opportunity Fellowships. The awards bring the total to 59 Japanese Americans in the program’s ten years.
• Farm Labor Program Resumed in Calif., by P.C. Staff, page 1. About 1,500 Japanese contract farm laborers are now working in California after the temporary worker program resumed this year following a five-year halt. Roughly 300 workers will complete their three-year stays in September and be replaced.
• Director’s Report: Board Meeting Aftermath, by Masao Satow, page 4. National Director Masao Satow reports on the three-day National Board meeting, its minutes being prepared, and highlights including Memorial Day services for Nisei war dead and membership progress. He also recounts the women’s bowling tour to Hawaii.

Obituaries

• Denver Issei Dies, by P.C. Staff, page 1. J. Zensuke Kanegaye, 72, a Mile-Hi civic leader and four-year JACL 1000 Club member, died June 20. He is survived by his wife, son, and two daughters.

Arts & Entertainment

• Sessue Hayakawa’s ‘An Evening of Rare Pleasures’, by Larry S. Tajiri, page 3. Larry Tajiri reviews Sessue Hayakawa’s New York stage entertainment and traces his career from silent films to Bridge on the River Kwai. The article also covers the controversy over his early film The Cheat and his later return to Hollywood.

Sports

• The Nisei Coxswain at Cornell, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Tatsuo Matsushita, a Nisei coxswain at Cornell, is pictured competing in the IRA Regatta at Lake Onondaga, which Wisconsin won. The article notes Nisei participation in collegiate crew as well as other sports.
• Nisei Kegler Heads City Bowling Assn., by P.C. Staff, page 6. Gene Takei was elected president of the Metropolitan Oakland Bowling Association, and Nobu Asami won the 1959 state women’s singles bowling crown. A large Nisei invitational tournament is also planned for August in Los Angeles.
• Southwest L.A. JACL Aids in Summer Ball Play, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Some 500 boys took part in midget and junior baseball championships under the Community Youth Council program. Southwest L.A. JACL directs one of the junior leagues with Thomas Shimazu as league director.
• Lefty O’Doul at Pee Wee League Fete, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Nearly 450 people attended the awards dinner for the Pee Wee and Big Leagues in San Francisco, where Frank O’Doul spoke and gave batting tips. Trophies were presented to the Berkeley JACL Bears and East Bay Indians.
• JACL Nisei Relays Recalls Winner’s Trophies, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The JACL Nisei Relays Committee recalled trophies from Bob Ikuta, who competed under another name, and took similar action against the Hobos. The committee cited a classification violation in the junior division.

In-Depth

• Complete Journal of Townsend Harris Bears No Resemblance to Recent Movie, by P.C. Staff, page 6. A review of The Complete Journal of Townsend Harris, the first American consul to Japan, describes his diary entries on Japanese people and treaty negotiations. The article notes the book differs sharply from the film The Barbarian and the Geisha.

Military & Veterans

• Clarence T. Arai: Fighting for Freedoms, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The article profiles Seattle attorney Clarence T. Arai, the first Japanese descent citizen to win a U.S. Army Reserve commission, who was excluded from service despite his qualifications. It recounts the wartime evacuation that affected even citizens of Japanese descent.

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.