Bakersfield forms a JACL chapter and a Native Son admits a mistake

Vol. 48, No. 7, February 13, 1959. 8 pages. View this issue

Two stories led the news. Forty Nisei met with JACL National Director Mas Satow and voted to form the Bakersfield Chapter, which will become the 85th JACL chapter once chartered. At the Oakland JACL installation dinner, Ed Schnarr of the Native Sons and Daughters of the Golden West admitted his organization had made a mistake in its wartime role in the forced removal of Japanese Americans. Harry K. Honda’s editorial and a page of reactions weighed what the remarks meant.

Elsewhere, Bill Hosokawa described Colorado’s Japanese American farming valleys, and Mike Masaoka reflected on Lincoln’s legacy and civil rights. Hawaii statehood drew two items, a 33-1 vote in the California State Senate and coming Senate hearings. Readers will also find a record 150 teams entered in the National JACL Bowling Tournament, plus chapter news from San Diego, Chicago and San Francisco.

What’s in this issue

Community

• Bakersfield Nisei to Form JACL Chapter, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Forty Nisei residents met with JACL National Director Mas Satow and voted to form the Bakersfield Chapter, which will become the 11th chapter of the Central California District Council and the 85th chapter nationally. The chapter’s operating committee was elected and the group must still meet charter requirements and serve a probationary period.
• Salt Lake City Wins IDC ‘Year’ Award, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Salt Lake JACL was honored as outstanding in the Intermountain District Council for sponsoring a strong national convention and recruiting over 500 members, ranking fourth nationally. The next IDC quarterly meeting will be hosted by Ogden JACL in April.
• Native Son Leader Addresses Oakland JACL Inaugural, by Howard M. Imazeki, page 1. Ed Schnarr, past grand president of the Native Sons and Daughters of the Golden West, addressed the Oakland JACL installation dinner and admitted his organization had made a mistake in its wartime role in evacuation. Attendees and JACL leaders praised the sincerity of the remarks as a significant step in community reconciliation.
• Reactions to Schnarr’s Address, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Several JACL members from across the Bay Area and beyond shared their reactions to Ed Schnarr’s address at the Oakland installation. Most praised his sincerity and courage, while some cautioned that the apology was not an official organizational retraction.
• For Longevity—Eat Sashimi and Ripe Tomatoes, Said Issei Who Lived Till 101, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Fusakichi Kuwata of Honolulu died at age 101, crediting his longevity to eating sashimi and ripe tomatoes. He is survived by five children, 15 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
• Japanese Doctor Quits Tangier Island for Western Maryland Coal Mining Town, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Dr. Mikio Kato, the only doctor on Tangier Island, Va., for more than a year, will begin practicing in Lonaconing, Md. He found the island’s residents too healthy to need much medical care.
• Sham Marriage Lady on 5-Yr. Probation, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Adeline Jackson Miyanaga pleaded guilty to making false statements to immigration authorities in a sham marriage to a Japanese student. She received five years’ probation.
• Redevelopment Project Moves Final Nisei Store, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Yorozu store in Sacramento, the last Nisei business in a block slated for civic redevelopment, will move to 322 O Street and reopen March 10. Other Japanese merchants on 4th Street are expected to relocate in March and April.
• Chicago JACL Brotherhood Dinner Features Dr. Percy Julian, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Chicago JACL will hold its second annual Brotherhood Dinner Feb. 22, with Negro chemist Dr. Percy L. Julian as guest speaker. The event honors Puerto Rican and American Indian community members as special guests.
• San Diego Vice-Mayor to Address PSWDC Meet, by P.C. Staff, page 4. San Diego JACL will host the annual PSWDC Chapter Clinic at the Lafayette Hotel, with Vice-Mayor Ross G. Tharp keynoting the Saturday banquet and JACL legal counsel Frank Chuman speaking at Sunday’s luncheon. The Chapter of the Year award will be presented.
• Better Business Bureau Leader Addresses San Francisco JACLers at Installation, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Muriel Tsvetkoff of the Better Business Bureau urged San Francisco JACL members to report unethical businesses in her talk on vultures, vampires and volunteers. Steve Doi was installed as the new chapter president.
• Tulare County Benefit Movie Celebrates 25th, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Tulare County JACL is holding a benefit movie in Dinuba as part of its 25th anniversary celebration. The chapter is also considering additional Silver Jubilee projects this year.
• Southwest LA Joins in Brotherhood Event, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Southwest Los Angeles JACL will participate in an Olympic B’nai B’rith National Brotherhood Month program Feb. 17, with lyric soprano Shigeko Iinuma representing Japanese Americans.
• Oakland Bowling and Community Notes, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Several chapters report local news including officer installations, membership drives, and community events. Items cover Contra Costa, Fowler, Reedley and Southwest Los Angeles activities.
• Nisei Veterans Elect Officers, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Dr. Kenneth K. Fujii was elected president of the Stockton Nisei Veterans Club. The brief item reports leadership changes in the veterans group.
• Fountain Valley Mayor Named Outstanding Young Farmer, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Mayor James Kanno of Fountain Valley, the first Nisei mayor in the United States, was selected as Orange County’s Outstanding Young Farmer of 1958. He represented the county in state competition.
• Nisei Cleared in Judo Death Case, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Master Sgt. Minoru Oda was cleared of involuntary manslaughter charges in the death of Sgt. Ralph Morgan, who died after a judo throw at Ft. Lewis Inn. The court found Oda had acted to quiet an unruly patron.
• Oakland Nisei Ed Schnarr Address and Reactions, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Coverage of the Oakland JACL installation dinner continues with Ed Schnarr’s post-speech comments that Oriental exclusion would never again be an issue for his organization. The Hokubei Mainichi praised the Oakland JACL for taking leadership on this historic evening.

JACL

• 150 Teams Ready for National JACL Bowling Tournament, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A record 150 teams from across the country will compete in the 13th annual National JACL Bowling Tournament at Holiday Bowl March 3-7. ABC president Richard W. Gano will receive the National JACL Scroll of Appreciation at the awards dinner.

Military & Veterans

• Chapter to Donate Flowers for Rites, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Eden Township JACL will redirect its annual Memorial Day flower donation from Arlington National Cemetery to Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno to decorate graves of Nisei war dead. San Francisco Nisei veteran groups are organizing this year’s services.
• Washington Newsletter: Lincoln Birthday Call 1909, by Mike Masaoka, page 7. Mike Masaoka reflects on Lincoln’s legacy and the 1909 call for a national civil rights conference that led to the NAACP. He notes that civil rights inequities persist and that President Eisenhower has proposed a seven-point civil rights program.
• Canada-Born Minister to Head Buddhist Work, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Rev. Takashi Tsuji, former Toronto Buddhist Church minister, will direct the new Buddhist education department of the Buddhist Churches of America. The program aims to build understanding of Buddhism among Nisei, Sansei and Caucasian members.

National

• Calif. State Senate Urges Hawaii Statehood, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The California State Senate passed a resolution 33-1 urging Congress to grant statehood to Hawaii this session. The lone dissenter objected to the prospect of Japanese Hawaiian politicians serving in Congress.
• Racial Bias at Bar Hit in California Measure, by P.C. Staff, page 2. California Assemblyman Philip Burton introduced bills to eliminate housing discrimination and to revoke liquor licenses of bars that deny service based on race, creed, or color. Burton was also named chairman of the Assembly Social Welfare Committee.
• Issei-Nisei Savings and Loan Association May Be in Operation, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Nichibei Savings and Loan Association, the first such institution principally financed by persons of Japanese ancestry, was expected to receive its state charter. President Ben Adachi testified about housing discrimination that limits Issei and Nisei home buyers.
• Senate Subcommittee Slates Statehood Meet, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Senate Subcommittee on Territories will hold three days of hearings on Hawaii statehood beginning Feb. 25. Subcommittee chairman Sen. Henry M. Jackson predicted committee approval of a statehood bill in early March.

Commentary

• Editor’s Desk: Oakland JACL Installation Historic Overtures, by Harry K. Honda, page 2. The editorial argues that the Oakland JACL installation, featuring Ed Schnarr’s admission of past error, may help pave the way toward overturning the constitutionality of wartime evacuation. It traces the Native Sons’ historic role in promoting Japanese exclusion and wartime evacuation.
• PC Letter Box: Southland Woman Wins DAR Pin, by Margaret Farr Hara, M.D., page 2. Dr. Margaret Farr Hara writes to note that her husband, Dr. Hatsuji James Hara, received the first DAR Americanism medal in Southern California in 1958, correcting a headline that credited Colorado. She also congratulates Rev. Eizo Sakamoto on his own DAR recognition.
• Year of the Boar, by Mike Suzuki, page 2. Hollywood JACL president Mike Suzuki writes that the chapter will work to ensure 1959 is remembered positively. He notes that the new board structure of 16 elected members and seven former presidents will drive the chapter forward, with member participation key to success.
• From the Rocky Mountain Area: Colorado’s Three Farming Valleys, by Bill Hosokawa, page 3. Bill Hosokawa describes Colorado’s Japanese American farming communities, particularly in the Arkansas Valley around Rocky Ford, and the history of Issei settlers who arrived in the early 1900s. He recounts attending the Arkansas Valley JACL installation banquet, contrasting it with wartime hostility.
• From the Board: Oregon Farm Tax Problems, by Henry T. Kato, page 5. PNWDC Chairman Henry T. Kato explains Oregon farmers’ concerns over assessment of agricultural land at highest-use value and the personal property tax disparity affecting farm equipment. He urges support for a realistic agricultural productivity valuation method.
• Nisei Views on U.S. Foreign Policy, by T. Scotty Mizuarawa, page 5. The author argues that American arrogance and failure to understand rising nationalism in Arab nations and Ceylon have cost the United States strategic influence. He calls for more constructive engagement with newly independent nations.
• Social Security: Retirement Test, by Los Angeles Social Security District Office, page 6. A series article explains that beginning in 1959, Social Security checks may be paid for any month in which a recipient earns $100 or less, regardless of annual earnings. The change benefits seasonal and part-time workers.

In-Depth

• Nisei Doctor Reports Diagnosis of Flu During Epidemic Half Right, Half Wrong, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A study by Drs. C.R. Dawson and Kahn Uyeyama found physicians diagnosing influenza during the 1957 epidemic were only about 50 percent accurate when compared with laboratory testing. The authors concluded that epidemic conditions biased clinical diagnoses.

Sports

• Nisei Bowling Record Set in San Jose, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A bottom-ranked San Jose Nisei Classics league team bowled 3144 scratch, believed to be a mainland Nisei record, with John Watanabe leading the effort with a 667 series. Three team games exceeded 1000.

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