A county JACL leader’s death and the push for Issei naturalization

Vol. 38, No. 19, May 7, 1954. 12 pages. View this issue

Sumiko Kato, 27, a nurse and president of the Southern Alameda County JACL chapter, was killed in a collision with a diesel truck on her way to work at San Jose Hospital. The paper also followed the evacuation claims payment, as the Senate approved $114 million, and reported that the JACL planned to urge faster naturalization of Issei. A Salt Lake chapter planted 20 cherry trees at the Utah State Fairgrounds to honor 22 newly naturalized Issei.

In the columns, Mike M. Masaoka wrote on the new Japanese ambassador’s arrival in Washington, Bill Hosokawa described a spring luau in a Colorado snowstorm, and Larry Tajiri criticized a wave of cheap anti-American Japanese films. Haruo Ishimaru and George Inagaki weighed in on the JACL’s direction and good-will dinners. Sports pages covered the Nisei Olympics planned for Kezar Stadium. The issue also announced the first candidate for Miss National JACL and urged early pre-registration for the national convention.

What’s in this issue

Obituaries

• Accident Kills Southern Alameda County JACL Leader, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Sumiko Kato, 27, a Warm Springs nurse and president of the Southern Alameda County JACL chapter, died in a collision with a diesel truck at Bayshore and Oakland highways on her way to work at San Jose Hospital. She was a native of San Jose and had been on the hospital staff for six years.

Military & Veterans

• 2nd Boy of Same Family Appointed to West Point, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Robert Matsumoto, 18, of Bakersfield was accepted as a West Point cadet, the second member of his family to receive the appointment after brother Glenn, who graduates in June. Robert topped the entrance tests taken with about 35 others in San Francisco.

Community

• Salt Lake YWCA Building Fund Appeal Made Again, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Japanese committee of the Salt Lake YWCA Building Fund Campaign, led by Rev. Tetsuo Saito, renewed its appeal for contributions. About $130,000 of the $400,000 goal remains to be raised.
• Pasadena JACL Pays Public Tribute to William C. Carr, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Pasadena JACL honored realtor William C. Carr and his wife at a recognitions dinner for his pre-war and wartime support of persons of Japanese ancestry. Fingerprinting police officers and a policewoman were also cited.
• Farmer Crossfiles in $25,000 Damage Suit with Cyclist, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Sadao Sakamoto filed a $25,000 cross-complaint against motorcycle racer Kenneth Eggers Jr. and his wife after an October accident on Bolsa Road. Eggers had earlier sued Sakamoto for $35,000.
• Asian Studies Academy Becomes Graduate School, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The American Academy of Asian Studies in San Francisco became a graduate school of the College of Pacific in Stockton, with state accreditation to grant master’s and doctoral degrees.
• Fresno Issei Pioneer Naturalized, Proudly Boasts Family Voting Power, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Koichi Kamikawa, 68, of Fresno, a longtime Issei merchant and banker, became a naturalized citizen and describes his life’s ups and downs. He recounts the family’s stores, anti-Japanese hardships, and his wartime internment.
• Pre-Register Now for Nat’l JACL Convention, by Harry Honda, page 2. Harry Honda urges early pre-registration for the National JACL Convention. The convention is scheduled in Los Angeles over the Labor Day weekend.
• Honolulu Newsletter: Hawaiian Statehood Delegation Heads to Washington, by Lawrence Nakatsuka, page 3. A large Hawaiian delegation of about 54 persons, including 33 legislators, flew to Washington to press for statehood. The bill is stalled in the House Rules Committee after the Senate tied Alaska to it.
• Denver’s Larimer Street Housing Regarded Worst, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A city sanitation survey found Larimer Street, once home to many Japanese Americans during World War II, has the worst housing conditions in Denver’s Mile High District. Changes to the housing code are expected.
• Hurt in Water Bottle Explosion, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Evelyn Gray filed a $7,500 damage suit against the owners of a Stockton market and a soft drink distributor after a sparkling water bottle exploded and cut her leg. The suit names the Nakashina brothers and J. Leroy Swenson.
• Seizo Kodani Honored for Years of Fire Service, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Seizo Kodani, believed to be the only Nisei fire chief in the United States, was honored for 20 years of service with the Carmel Highlands fire force. He has also been active with the Monterey Peninsula JACL.
• Japanese Cherry Trees Dedicated at Utah State Fairgrounds, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Salt Lake Chapter JACL members planted 20 flowering cherry trees at the Utah State Fairgrounds to honor 22 newly naturalized Issei. Mrs. J. Bracken Lee accepted the trees, and Rev. Tetsuo Saito offered the dedicatory prayer.
• West Fresno Banker Ready to Retire After 33 Years, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Hiroshi Abiko, a recently naturalized employee of Bank of America’s West Fresno branch, will retire at the end of July after 33 years. He plans to move to Los Angeles.
• Manzanar ’44 Graduates Plan 10th Anniversary Reunion, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Manzanar High School’s class of 1944 is planning a 10th anniversary reunion for June 19-20 in Los Angeles. A preliminary meeting is set for May 12.

JACL

• Southwest L.A. Girl First Candidate for Nat’l JACL Convention Queen, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Mary Hisako Enomoto of Southwest Los Angeles was announced as the first candidate for Miss National JACL. She is a Los Angeles State College education major sponsored by the Southwest Los Angeles chapter.

National

• Senate OK’s $114 Million for Evacuation Claims Payment, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Senate approved funds in the Third Supplemental Appropriations Bill of 1954 for evacuation claims awards, according to the Washington JACL Office. The measure returns to the House because the Senate made minor changes.
• Statehood for Hawaii: House Discharge Petition Hinted, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rep. Passman called for removing roadblocks to House action on Hawaii and Alaska statehood and suggested a discharge petition if normal procedures fail. The Senate had amended the Hawaii bill to add Alaska.
• Issei-Nisei Nurserymen, Flower Growers Ask Senate Fair Treatment for Non-Profit Coops on Air Shipments, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Mike Masaoka testified before a Senate committee asking that agricultural cooperatives shipping flowers by air be exempt from CAB regulation as they are in surface transport. Many Issei and Nisei growers in California depend on these out-of-state markets.
• Congressional Boxscore at the Midway Point, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A nonpartisan research summary shows that of 214 Eisenhower legislative objectives, only five have become law at the halfway point of the 83rd Congress’s second session. Majority leaders in both chambers predict more progress before adjournment.
• Speed-Up in Naturalization of Issei to Be Urged by JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 3. After President Eisenhower appointed Gen. Joseph M. Swing as Immigration Commissioner, the JACL planned to urge faster Issei naturalization, including group examinations used in Northern California. Mike Masaoka said most applicants are elderly.
• Non-Discriminating Clause in Government Contracts Revised, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Deputy Attorney General William P. Rogers announced a revised non-discrimination clause for government contracts that prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion or national origin. Contractors must also post notices of the policy.

Commentary

• Washington Newsletter: Ambassador Araki’s Successor and U.S.-Japan Relations, by Mike M. Masaoka, page 2. Masaoka comments on Ambassador Eikichi Araki’s career and on Ambassador Sadao Iguchi’s arrival in Washington to face tariff and defense issues. He expresses hope that Japanese Americans can help further goodwill between the two nations.
• Very Truly Yours: About Two Mrs. Youngers, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The editor corrects Larry Tajiri’s column on the two Mrs. Youngers on the California ballot, noting the Supreme Court ruled Hazel Younger stays on the ballot. The piece also comments on Senator Tenney’s past positions toward Japanese Americans.
• Callahan’s Corner: Installation and Good-Will Dinners as Public Relations, by George Inagaki, page 6. National President George Inagaki recommends chapter good-will dinners, especially those honoring newly naturalized Issei, as effective public relations. He describes successful examples from Central and Northern California.
• Scene from the Golden Gate: Reexamining the JACL’s Direction, by Haruo Ishimaru, page 7. Haruo Ishimaru responds to a Min Yasui and Mas Yonemura exchange by arguing the JACL remains the only nationally organized Japanese American body and should be improved rather than destroyed. He urges members to work with the wider community toward a greater America.
• Tokyo Topics: Entertainment in Tokyo, by Tamotsu Murayama, page 8. Murayama describes a booming Tokyo entertainment industry, with officials entertained by businessmen at golf courses, geisha parties and nightclubs. He argues this influence has corrupted young officials and big business practices.
• From the Frying Pan: Luau and a Snowstorm, by Bill Hosokawa, page 11. Bill Hosokawa describes attending the annual spring luau of Hui O’Hawaii at the University of Colorado despite a snowstorm. He recounts how the roast pig was finished in a restaurant oven and notes the Hawaiian culture embraced by all members.
• Vagaries: Back Alley of Japan’s Cinema, by Larry Tajiri, page 11. Larry Tajiri criticizes a wave of cheap anti-American Japanese films such as Kyoen and Akasen Kichi, which play into Communist propaganda. He compares them to earlier anti-Japanese Hollywood films and Sessue Hayakawa controversies.
• Editorial: Different Treatment, by P.C. Staff, page 12. The editorial praises a unanimous Supreme Court decision invalidating the exclusion of Mexican Americans from juries. It sees the ruling as possibly foreshadowing action on school segregation.
• Editorial: Asia for the Asians, by P.C. Staff, page 12. The editorial comments on exchanges at Geneva in which Secretary Dulles warned of an Asiatic Munich and Communist leaders called Asian security a matter for Asians. It notes the propaganda appeal of the slogan while pointing out Communist hypocrisy.

Arts & Entertainment

• Gene Fowler Book on Sadakichi May Be Film, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A Gene Fowler book, Minutes of the Last Meeting, featuring Sadakichi Hartmann, may be adapted for movies with a proposed cast. The item is brief and largely a Hollywood news note.
• GI Who Studied Art by Home Course Now Book Illustrator in N.Y., by P.C. Staff, page 6. Isami Kashiwagi, a Hawaii-born Nisei, became a book illustrator in New York after studying art through a correspondence course in the Army. He later earned a Cresson traveling scholarship and has illustrated several books for major publishers.
• Kabuki Charms L.A. Audience, by Katsumi Kunitsugu, page 8. Azuma Kabuki Dancers and Musicians opened at the Biltmore Theater to an enthusiastic, mixed audience. The writer praises the troupe’s precision, costumes, and music and recommends the second program.
• Japanese-Style House Being Built in New York Museum, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Architect Junzo Yoshimura is assembling a traditional Japanese house for a June exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. A New York Herald Tribune editorial commented lightly on the project.

Sports

• Mile-Hi Golfers Prepare for Season’s First Club Tournament, by P.C. Staff, page 10. The Mile-Hi Golf Club held qualifying rounds for its first major event at the Willis Case links, with the top sixteen advancing to the championship bracket at City Park. Handicap revisions and tournament flight schedules were also announced.
• Tiny Japanese Chucks in So. Atlantic Loop, by P.C. Staff, page 10. Jose Nakamura, a 5-foot-5 southpaw, won his first game for Charlotte of the Class A South Atlantic League after winning 19 games for Shelby in the Tar Heel loop. He tossed a five-hitter in the victory.
• Sportscope: Golf, Track and Baseball Notes, by P.C. Staff, page 10. Brief news on the Northern California Nisei Golf Association championships, jockey George Taniguchi’s riding success, high school track results, and the Denver Nisei baseball roster. The column also reports Canadian angler Dr. Paul Asada’s sailfish catch.
• Second Annual Nisei Olympics Planned for Kezar Stadium, by P.C. Staff, page 10. San Francisco JACL’s track committee is preparing the second annual Nisei Olympics at Kezar Stadium on June 6 with at least 26 events. Entries are being accepted in three classes.

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