Claims bills, Memorial Day wreaths and a repeal signed into law

Vol. 42, No. 21, May 25, 1956. 8 pages. View this issue

The Senate’s failure to take up the evacuation claims bill, for lack of a quorum, was a main story of this 8-page issue. The Lane-Hillings bill, approved by the House in March, still awaited Senate action. Helen Mineta reported that President Eisenhower signed the bill ending the ban on Mongolian labor on federal reclamation projects, and Mike Masaoka’s Washington Newsletter reviewed where each JACL bill stood. An editorial described the Memorial Day wreath-laying at Arlington National Cemetery, where JACL members joined other groups and planned to decorate the graves of 20 Nisei soldiers.

Bill Hosokawa wrote about a Hawaiian luau in Colorado and a visit from National Director Mas Satow. Larry S. Tajiri followed the career of film star Sessue Hayakawa and the demolition of his Grey Castle home. Elmer Ogawa mourned the closing of a Seattle soy sauce brewery. Chapter news, convention preparations and scholarship deadlines fill the inside pages.

What’s in this issue

Military & Veterans

• Memorial Day Rites for Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL and Washington, D.C. chapter members join national patriotic groups in annual Memorial Day wreath-laying at Arlington National Cemetery and decorate graves of 20 Nisei WWII dead. The editorial urges Nisei to remember those who sacrificed for American freedom.
• Parlier JACL Float Wins Sweepstakes, by Kazuo Komoto, page 1. The Parlier JACL’s four-section float promoting JACL’s motto won the sweepstakes trophy in the 11th annual Veterans Round-Up Parade, viewed by 12,000 people. Chapter members spent a week building the float with a blue and yellow color scheme.
• Nisei Invited to White House Conference, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Washington state Junior Chamber of Commerce vice-president Ed Nishi received a White House invitation to an occupational safety conference but could not attend due to spring farming. He plans to attend the national Jaycee convention as delegate.
• First Mainland Nisei Appointed to Air Academy by Denver Congressman, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Ben T. Furuta of Denver was among three successful Colorado candidates appointed to the U.S. Air Force Academy by Rep. William S. Hill. The appointment is a notable first for a mainland Nisei.
• Nisei Pianist Soloist with Burbank Symphony, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Yoshiko Niiya will perform Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Burbank Symphony Orchestra in a free public concert on May 27. The concert is directed by Leo Damiani.
• Hank Shimada Honored as Air Academy Appointee, by P.C. Staff, page 3. San Francisco Nisei Ben Ok Shimada, a B-29 crewman lost in a 1953 Korean War mission, received a posthumous award. The story covers the Yalu River bombing mission and its aftermath.
• First Nisei Umpire in Organized Baseball Makes Debut, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Hank Shimada, a 442nd RCT veteran, became the first Nisei umpire in organized baseball when he worked a California State League game in Salinas. He had trained under major league umpires after the war.
• Heroism of Capt. Fukuzaki’s Crew Rescuing Victims Recalled, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Captain George Fukuzaki and crew of the Stella Maris rescued survivors of the Western Explorer after it was smashed on rocks off Socorro Island. Survivors returned to Long Beach aboard a Navy icebreaker.

National

• Claims Bill Consideration in Senate Held Up, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Senate Judiciary Committee failed to consider the evacuation claims expediting bill due to lack of quorum and the Sobeloff nomination. The Lane-Hillings bill, approved by the House in March, awaits Senate action.
• Judge Goodman Suggests JACL Change Name by Dropping ‘Japanese’, by Nichi Bei Times, page 1. Federal Judge Louis E. Goodman suggested at a JACL banquet in San Jose that the organization drop ‘Japanese’ from its name. He urged Nisei and naturalized citizens to embrace American identity without hyphenation.
• Methodist Integration Move Well-Received by Nisei Hawaiian Minister, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rev. Dr. Harry Komuro welcomed the Methodist General Conference decision to end its segregated administrative structure. The move removed obstacles to racial integration within the church.
• Major JACL Legislative Aim Met as Bill on Use of Mongolian Labor Signed, by Helen Mineta, page 1. President Eisenhower signed a bill ending the prohibition against Mongolian labor on federal reclamation projects, removing the last statutory race-based discrimination by name. Mike Masaoka called it the end of an era of anti-Asian legislation.
• Hawaii Land Return Bill on President’s Desk to Aid AJA Eleemosynary Groups, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The House accepted a Senate amendment to the Hawaii land return bill, sending it to the President. The bill lets Japanese ancestry eleemosynary organizations reclaim prewar property conveyed to the government during WWII.
• JACL to Urge Qualified Nisei Government Workers Be Upped for Policy-Making Jobs, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL accepted an invitation to a federal conference on equal job opportunity, where it will urge that qualified Nisei receive administrative and policy-making positions. More than 5,000 Nisei work in federal service.

Community

• Milwaukee Sansei Named to Student Goodwill Study Program, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Gerald Sakura, 16, of Milwaukee was selected by the American Field Service to study in Europe, staying with a family in Stockholm, Sweden. He was active in school athletics and academics.
• San Pedro Nisei Awarded Four-Year Scholarship, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Hisashi Matsutani of San Pedro High School received a $2,400 Macneil Pierce Foundation scholarship to study dentistry at USC. He was a varsity football letterman and honor student.
• Southland Gardeners Organize Federation, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Southern California Gardeners Federation was chartered as a nonprofit corporation to serve Issei and Nisei landscape workers. It plans to offer sick benefits, education programs, and civic activities.
• 14,000 Attending Gakuen in Hawaii, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Japanese language schools in Hawaii have apparently reached peak expansion after postwar revival, with 78 schools and 14,041 students. Palama Gakuen is the largest, and classes focus on language arts and moral education.
• Elected Lions President, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Hirato W. Uno, active Ft. Lupton JACLer, was elected president of the Roggen Lions club. The brief notes his civic leadership.
• Takes San Diego Job, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Roger Tsuda, former D.C. Chapter News Notes circulation manager, moved to San Diego to work as an electronic technician with Convair.
• 50,000 Volumes Collected for UCLA Oriental Library, by P.C. Staff, page 1. UCLA opened an Oriental library of more than 50,000 volumes, including Japanese works secured by Prof. Richard Rudolph. Many volumes were acquired during a 1948 trip to China before Red China closed its doors.
• Japan Society Officers Elected, by P.C. Staff, page 1. John D. Rockefeller III was reelected president of Japan Society, Inc. in New York, with other officers including Prof. Hugh Borton. The society promotes cultural relations between the United States and Japan.
• Pre-Medical Student Wins Scholastic Honor, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Janice T. Kayahara of Southwest Los Angeles was among 82 UCLA students elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She has been accepted into UCLA Medical School for September.
• Nichiren Temple Presents Awards, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Nichiren temple at 2016 Pine St. presented awards in a ceremony attended by local dignitaries. The event recognized community contributions.
• Southwest LA JACL Hits All-Time High of 855 Members, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Southwest Los Angeles JACL reached 855 members and continued canvassing toward 1,000. The winning Activators team earned top honors in the membership drive.
• Ventura County CLers Set for Cemetery Clean-Up, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Ventura County JACL members will clean the Oxnard Japanese cemetery before Memorial Day services led by Buddhist and Christian ministers. Tadashi Kanamori is chapter president.
• Long Beach CL Plans June 23 Graduates’ Hop, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Long Beach-Harbor District JACL will hold an orchestra dance for local graduates on June 23 at the Harbor Community Center. The theme is ‘You Never Walk Alone.’
• Scholarship Deadline Set for May 31, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Nominations for the 1956 Pvt. Ben Frank Masaoka Memorial Scholarship, a $200 grant, are due May 31 through JACL chapters. The scholarship is administered by National JACL Headquarters.
• Selma JACL to Sponsor Booth at Selma Fair, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Selma JACL will run a chowmein and soda-pop booth at the Selma Fair and plan a clam-digging outing June 9. Volunteers are named for the fair booth.
• Expect 200 in S.F. Olympics, by P.C. Staff, page 5. San Francisco JACL’s fourth annual Olympics track meet at Kezar Stadium on June 3 expects 200 contestants. Events and weigh-in details are outlined along with the awards dance.
• Nisei Relays Entry Information, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Entry forms for the 1956 JACL Nisei Relays are available at the Los Angeles regional office. The June 24 meet at Rancho Cienega will have Open and Junior divisions with event rules described.
• Publisher’s Daughter Enrolls at Whittier, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Fumi Maruyama, daughter of Tokyo Asahi Shimbun publisher Nagataka Maruyama, is studying American language and customs at Whittier College before attending an Eastern journalism school.
• Southwest Los Angeles JACL Newsletter, by Henry Mori, page 7. George Izumi of Grace Pastry Shoppe won a grand prize in the pie division at the Industrial Bakers Forum. The column also notes Nisei Music Guild scholarship winners and an aged Issei returning to the U.S.
• Nisei Skipper Recommended for Carnegie Medal, by P.C. Staff, page 8. San Pedro Chamber of Commerce recommended Capt. George Fukuzaki for the Carnegie Medal for rescuing seven fishermen from the Western Explorer. The proposal is being pursued through Congressman Cecil King.
• Janet Fukuda Presented Top S.C. Campus Honors, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Janet Fukuda, the first Nisei to lead Associated Women Students at USC, received the Elizabeth vonKleinSmid award for service and character. The honor recognizes her campus leadership.

Commentary

• Guess at a Luau, by Bill Hosokawa, page 2. Hosokawa describes the seventh annual luau staged by the Hui O’ Hawaii club at the University of Colorado, featuring roasted pig and Hawaiian entertainment. He admires Hawaiian culture for its unselfconscious joy.
• Grey Castle Gone, by Harry K. Honda, page 2. Honda and photographer Archie Miyatake found that the Grey Castle, former home of Sessue Hayakawa, had already been demolished for a gas station. He reflects on how Los Angeles progress erases landmarks.
• Hayakawa’s Grey Castle, by Larry S. Tajiri, page 3. Bob Okazaki chronicles the career of Sessue Hayakawa, the Japanese-born silent film star whose Grey Castle mansion in Hollywood was being demolished. The piece traces his rise, his films, and his later decline.
• Perspectively Yours, by Harry K. Honda, page 4. Honda reports on NCWNDC quarterly meeting in San Jose, praising strong attendance and the workshop on chapter programming. He reflects on preparations for the 14th Biennial convention in San Francisco.
• Vagaries: Hayakawa’s Grey Castle, by Larry S. Tajiri, page 4. Continuing the Hayakawa series, the column traces his later career, financial losses, a paternity case, and eventual return to Japan. It notes the Grey Castle’s demolition as the end of a Hollywood era.
• Sou’wester, by Tats Kushida, page 5. Kushida describes a SoCal fujinkai banquet honoring 53 mothers of ten or more children at Koyasan Temple. The column also covers the L.A. County Conference on Community Relations and a Nisei-produced film.
• Las Lat Batch of Shoyu, by Elmer Ogawa, page 6. Ogawa laments the closing of Northwest Manufacturing Co., a Seattle soy sauce firm brewed the traditional way since World War I. He argues that the loss is a loss to the community given growing market potential for quality soy sauce.
• Last Batch of Shoyu, by Elmer Ogawa, page 6. Seattle’s Northwest Manufacturing Co. is closing, ending a traditional shoyu brewing process that requires 8 to 12 months of aging. Ogawa describes the labor-intensive brewing method and brewmaster Kaz Tsujimoto.
• Washington Newsletter: Status of JACL Bills, by Mike Masaoka, page 8. Masaoka reviews the status of JACL’s national legislative program, including the Mongolian labor repeal signed into law and pending evacuation claims and Hawaii property bills. He predicts the outcome of several other bills before adjournment.

JACL

• Satow Visits in Denver, by Bill Hosokawa, page 2. National JACL Director Mas Satow reported 88 chapters with about 15,000 members, and over 1,600 members in the 1000 Club. Hosokawa reflects on what these figures say about Nisei commitment.
• Parlier JACL Float Wins Sweepstakes, by Kazuo Komoto, page 2. Parlier JACL’s four-section float, highlighting the JACL motto, won sweepstakes in the Veterans Round-Up Parade. Chapter members worked a full week building it.
• JACL to Urge Qualified Nisei Government Workers Be Upped, by P.C. Staff, page 2. JACL will attend a Washington conference on federal employment opportunity and urge Nisei promotion to policy-making posts. Over 5,000 Nisei hold federal jobs.
• Hawaii Land Return Bill Passed, by P.C. Staff, page 3. JACL-supported legislation returning prewar property of Hawaiian Japanese eleemosynary organizations passed Congress. It awaits presidential signature.
• San Francisco JACL Queen Candidates Honored, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Six San Francisco JACL candidates for Miss National JACL were honored at a tea and competed at the NCWNDC quarterly meeting in San Jose. Candidates attended the June 16 dance at the Surf Club.
• Time for Reflection, by Harry K. Honda, page 4. Honda calls on members to deliberate on policy issues ahead of Changing Perspectives, citing National Director Satow’s remarks. He suggests reviewing the bowling tournament and staff protection measures.
• Workshop Session Highlights, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Johnny Enomoto moderated the NCWNDC workshop, where chapter leaders shared programming successes. Richmond-El Cerrito, Sonoma, and Marysville presented reports on their top 1955 programs.
• Outstanding JACLer of Biennium Nominations Close July 31, by P.C. Staff, page 5. National JACL will award the new Dr. Randolph M. Sakada Memorial Award to the outstanding member of the biennium at the 1956 convention. Nominations must be submitted by July 31 with details of chapter, district, and national service.

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