Exchange clubs split over race, and Issei become citizens

Vol. 39, No. 13, September 24, 1954. 8 pages. View this issue

A dispute over who could join the Exchange Club led fifteen Northern California clubs to form the Association of Independent Service Clubs, with Richard Gibson of Stockton as president. The national constitution limited membership to white male Americans. Citizenship was a second thread: 63 Issei in Fresno and close to 100 in Denver received naturalization certificates, and 150 Japanese farmers were recommended for entry under the 1953 Refugee Relief Act. Page 2 profiled the new National JACL officers, including President George Inagaki, and a Stockton Record editorial urged Congress to settle the $62 million in property claims.

Columns this week included Bill Hosokawa on hosting Prof. Masami Nishikawa of Tokyo University, Larry Tajiri on the death of Ralph M. Gelvin of the Poston relocation center, and Lawrence Nakatsuka on Nisei campaigning in Hawaii. Harry Honda previewed the 72-page holiday issue.

What’s in this issue

Community

• Dissident Exchange clubs organize new service association, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Fifteen Northern California Exchange clubs that were suspended or returned their charters over the admission of non-white members formed the Association of Independent Service Clubs and elected Richard Gibson of Stockton as president. The dispute centers on national constitution limits restricting membership to white male Americans.
• Selma community hall to be constructed soon, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A one-acre lot in northside Selma has been purchased as the site of a new Japanese community hall. Construction is expected to begin soon, with the building accommodating 250 people.
• Santa Maria Union Church set for 25th anniversary, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Santa Maria Union Church will celebrate its 25th anniversary Oct. 23 with speakers including Dr. Frank H. Smith, Dr. Kei Sasaki and Rev. Taro Goto. Issei pastor Rev. Yasuo Oshita also recently passed his naturalization examination.
• New look for center, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Japanese American Community Center at 2200 Blaisdell Ave. was recently repainted, with the exterior bricks painted buff, the trim and pillars white, and interiors redecorated.
• Hokubei Mainichi office ransacked by vandals, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Vandals broke into the editorial and business offices of the Hokubei Mainichi in San Francisco on Sept. 9, ransacking desks, scattering papers, and dumping the photo file in the hallway. They took $25 from various rooms.
• Politicking at a wedding party, by Lawrence Nakatsuka, page 3. With nearly twenty Nisei candidates running for office on Oahu in the 1954 primary, the column describes campaign tactics at social gatherings and election rallies. It notes improved English among candidates and the growing role of radio and television in campaigning.
• Issei granted permanent residency after hasty trip to Central America, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Stockton Issei Masao Nakawatase received an immigrant visa for permanent residence after a voluntary departure to Central America arranged by attorney Frank Chuman. He had entered the U.S. without a visa in 1928 and became eligible for naturalization after the change in status.
• Aged Issei victim of foul play, reports Colorado coroner’s jury, by Katherine Kawamura, page 3. A Montrose, Colorado coroner’s jury determined that George J. Ohi, 65, died from a felonious blow to the head after being found dead in his home on Ash Mesa. No motive has been uncovered, and Ohi was well-liked in the community.
• Chicago Corner: For Illinois voters, by Ricky Sakurada, page 4. The Chicago chapter column reminds Illinois voters of registration requirements and deadlines ahead of the Nov. 2 general election. It explains where and when residents can register before the election.
• Far East affairs subject of talk at WLA meeting, by Steve Yagi, page 4. Rep. Donald L. Jackson will speak on Far Eastern affairs at the West Los Angeles JACL chapter’s final meeting of the year on Sept. 28. The chapter also raised $625 toward a youth house at Richland Avenue Jr. High School.
• Sequoia JACL combines bowling, business session, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Sequoia JACL chapter will hold a bowling night at Redwood Bowl with a short business meeting beforehand. The agenda includes a National Convention report and selection of a nominating committee for 1955 officers.
• Ex-San Francisco girl earns top secretary post, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Sumi Shimizu, a former San Franciscan, was appointed secretary to the district manager at General Electric’s Central District office in Chicago. She has been active in JACL chapter and national committee work.
• 63 Fresno Issei pass examinations, by P.C. Staff, page 6. A welcome ceremony for new American citizens was held Sept. 16 in Fresno, where 63 Issei were presented naturalization certificates. Local schools, veterans groups and the Sierra Nisei VFW Post assisted with the program.
• Denver citizenship day honors Issei, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Close to 100 naturalized Issei were among 300 Denver residents honored at Citizenship Day ceremonies on Sept. 14 at the City Auditorium. Invitations went to 500 new citizens who had been naturalized since the last observance.
• Educational trust fund for Nisei orphan started as girls’ club project, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Vandas, a young adult girls’ club in Los Angeles, established an educational trust fund for Lucy, a 12-year-old Nisei orphan in County Foster Home care, with an initial deposit of $291.04. The fund will be available for her education when she reaches age 18.
• Organic chemist to study at Sendai university, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Dr. Masato Tanabe, an organic chemist with Riker Laboratory in Los Angeles, received a Fulbright scholarship to pursue advanced studies in natural products chemistry at Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan. His research involves synthesizing alkaloidal compounds that lower blood pressure.

National

• Yule packages for GIs overseas should be mailed, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Pentagon advised that Christmas parcels to servicemen overseas should be mailed between Oct. 1 and Nov. 15. Lighter fluid and matches of all kinds are banned from overseas shipment in addition to the usual prohibited articles.
• Fortune smiles at last on ex-insurance executive who couldn’t rejoin Japanese bride in Tokyo, by P.C. Staff, page 1. John W. Roy, a former insurance executive despondent over visa difficulties that kept him from his Japanese bride in Tokyo, attempted suicide three times before being released from psychiatric care. Offers of help from relatives and friends in Japan then arrived to assist him in obtaining a visa and job.
• 150 Japanese farmers recommended for U.S. entry under refugee act, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Japanese consulate in San Francisco received names of 150 Japanese immigrants recommended for entry into the United States under the 1953 Refugee Relief Act. The candidates, sought by California Issei and Nisei farmers needing agricultural helpers, were selected through prefectural testing.
• Simultaneous rites of naturalization for 50,000 planned, by P.C. Staff, page 1. More than 50,000 foreign-born residents will be sworn in at simultaneous ceremonies nationwide on Nov. 11, Veterans Day, including at the Hollywood Bowl, Ebbets Field and the Polo Grounds. The project aims to clear a backlog of petitions and dramatize the importance of citizenship.
• New National JACL officers, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The newly elected National JACL board will be asked to lead a drive to raise at least a half million dollars for the National JACL Endowment Fund during the 1955-1956 biennium. Officers profiled include President George Inagaki, Treasurer Dr. Roy Nishikawa, and several new vice-presidents and board members.
• National JACL endowment fund nears $80,000 mark, by P.C. Staff, page 5. National JACL Headquarters reported $1,385.15 in recent contributions to the Endowment Fund, bringing the total to $79,303.61. A long list of individual donors from across the country is included.

Military & Veterans

• A-bomb survivor enlists in army, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Kazumi Sadamasa, 24, a survivor of the Hiroshima atomic bombing, was sworn into the Army on Sept. 16, saying he enlisted because it was his duty as an American citizen. He had lost his parents and a sister in the blast and suffered severe burns himself.
• Nisei patrolman guards President, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Colorado State Highway Patrolman Will Kagohara served on the special guard detail for President Eisenhower during a visit to the Brighton Great Western sugar factory. He was posted as south gate guard.

JACL

• Central, Northern California meetings, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Central California and Northern California-Western Nevada District Councils held special meetings to plan implementation of the national program adopted at the National JACL Convention in Los Angeles. George Nishita was named chairman of the Northern California council, succeeding Tom Yego.
• Pacific Citizen Holiday Issue time again, by Harry Honda, page 2. The Pacific Citizen begins planning its Christmas holiday edition, a 72-page issue with Japanese heritage features, chapter greetings and advertising solicitation. The column asks chapters to cooperate in gathering greetings and advertising, and previews a new calendar of events and chapter cabinet photographs.
• Summary of Nat’l Convention to be published next issue, by P.C. Staff, page 5. National JACL Director Mas Satow will summarize the business sessions of the 13th biennial National JACL Convention in his next monthly report. Official minutes are expected to reach chapter delegates by November.

Commentary

• Tokyo Bay Aftermath, by Stockton Record, page 2. On the ninth anniversary of Japan’s surrender aboard the USS Missouri, the editorial argues that the nation should compensate Americans of Japanese ancestry displaced after Pearl Harbor. It urges Congress to settle the $62 million in property claims before the tenth anniversary of Pacific peace.
• Tokyo Topics: American boy on Japan stamp, by Tamotsu Murayama, page 2. A 1949 Japanese Boy Scout commemorative stamp depicts George Paxton Russell, an American Boy Scout from New Jersey, making him reportedly the only living American boy scout pictured on a postage stamp. The column describes how the photo was taken and how the stamp came to be issued.
• Truly Yours, by Harry Honda, page 2. Harry Honda previews plans for the Pacific Citizen’s holiday issue, including Japanese heritage features, chapter greetings, and an updated JACL membership roster. He thanks chapters and contributors for their cooperation.
• The ‘Mum Tour of Japan, by Haruo Ishimaru, page 3. Haruo Ishimaru announces a 16-day autumn tour of Japan departing November 16 with a Hawaii stopover, guided by the Japan Travel Bureau. He hopes the trip will deepen his understanding of the culture of his parents’ homeland.
• Editorials: Little Quemoy, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The editorial links Communist China’s bombardment of Quemoy to the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization conference in Manila, calling it a strategy of promise and threat to split Allied unity. It warns that the free world can be challenged only so far.
• Editorials: Anti-Segregation, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The editorial condemns the return to segregation at White Sulphur Springs High School in West Virginia after five days of integration ended under parental protests. It contrasts this mob action with districts that have integrated quietly and urges legitimate means to end segregation.
• From the Frying Pan: Discovering Real America, by Bill Hosokawa, page 8. Bill Hosokawa recounts hosting Prof. Masami Nishikawa of Tokyo University, who was touring the United States on a foundation-sponsored trip to discover the real America. The column reflects on the professor’s impressions and his appreciation of conversing in Japanese.
• Vagaries: Poston Administrator, by Larry Tajiri, page 8. Larry Tajiri remembers Ralph M. Gelvin, former associate project director at the Poston war relocation center who died suddenly at 49. The column traces Gelvin’s career and his influence on Indian Service policy toward integration.

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