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Mori, Perry and Chiyo Transcript Part 1 continued
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| Title | Mori, Perry and Chiyo Transcript Part 1 continued |
| Date | 2008-03-15 |
| Interviewee | Mori, Perry and Chiyo |
| Interviewer | Uhlig, Elizabeth |
| Transcriber | Yee, Marissa |
| Subject | Japanese Americans
Pearl Harbor (Hawaii), Attack on, 1941
Racism
Relocation Camps
Japanese Americans--Evacuation and relocation, 1942-1945
United States. Army
Japan-Description and travel
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| Geographic Subject | New York (NY)
Watsonville (Calif.)
Salinas (Calif.)
Tule Lake (Siskiyou County and Modoc County, Calif.)
Chicago (Ill.)
Amache, Granada (Colo.)
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| Original Format | Microsoft Word
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| Data of Digital Converstion | 2012-02-28 |
| Original Collection | Japanese-American Association of Lane Co., OR, Oral History Collection
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| Restrictions | Permission to use must be obtained from the Oregon Multicultural Archives, OSU Special Collections & Archives Research Center |
| File Name | perry_and_chiyo_mori_part1con.pdf |
| Language | English |
| Full Text | Japanese-American Association of Lane County, Oregon - Oral History Collection Perry and Chiyo Mori – Part 1 continued Date: March 15, 2008 Place: Perry and Chiyo Mori's home Eugene, OR Length: 00:39:34 Interviewee: Perry and Chiyo Mori Interviewer: Elizabeth Uhlig Transcriber: Marissa Yee [00:00] [EU] Perry, could you tell me again, what's your name – do you have a Japanese name? [PM] Yes. Takeharu. [EU] Do you know why your parents gave you the name Perry? [PM] No, I don't know. I imagine - no, there's no neighbor I can remember that was named Perry or anything. [EU] Uh-huh. Yeah, and did your brothers and sisters also have – [PM] My brother has an English name, Roy, and my sister does not have – she used "Jean" which was a name she put on herself, I guess. [EU] But, what's her real name then? [PM] Ikuye [EU] Ikuye [PM] Yeah. [EU] Yeah? Alright. [PM] In – in fact, we all have very unusual names. My brother has a Japanese name, Tadahiro, and I've never heard of any of these names. [EU] Uh-huh. Hmm…So, you – you said you – your father came from Hiroshima and Chiyo, do you have the date when – [CM] No. When they came? His father? [EU] Uh-huh. 2 [CM] No, I have no idea. [EU] No idea? [CM] Well, I can say it was early – he was seven years old when the uncle brought him and that would be in what? 19 – 1897, then, if he was born in 19 – 1890. [EU] Uh-huh. [CM] So – that's – there's no way in confirming that. [EU] Yeah, and so do you have his birth date? [CM] Yeah, I gave it to – [PM] Yeah, February 20 – [CM] Eighth, 1890. [EU] 1890. Okay. Perry, can you tell me the story about how your father came to the United States when he was so young? [PM] Well, this is all hearsay and we – he lost both his – both of his parents and the uncle lived in New York and he came after him from New York and brought him over here. [EU] Okay. [PM] Now, I don't know if he had brothers and sisters or not. I have no idea. [EU] What – what was his uncle doing in New York? [CM] He had a concession in – [PM] in – [CM] Coney Island – is what we heard. [PM] Yeah, we heard they were selling senbei, you know? [CM] The crackers – the Japanese crackers – [PM] Yeah. I mean this is all hearsay – we, we have now way of substantiating any of this. [CM] This is what I remember from his mother telling us. 3 [EU] So your father came over when he was young – you say 7 or so. Do you think he helped out in the senbei? [CM] We have no idea. We have absolutely no idea. [EU] No idea. Okay. How long did he stay there? In Coney Island with his aunt and uncle? [CM] We have no idea. [EU] But, you were born in Watsonville, right? [PM] Uh-huh. [EU] So, how did he get to California? [PM] This – we have no idea either. We – I can't understand how he would have ended up in Watsonville, especially after living in New York. [EU] Uh-huh. [PM] But, he came there and he married my mother. I don't know. What - do you have a date of marriage? [CM] No. [PM] No. [EU] Okay. When did your mother come over? You said she was from Yamaguchi. [PM] Yeah. [EU] Uh, when was she born? I'm sorry. [CM] December 24th, 1898 and so, I assumed she came in 1912. [EU] Because she was 14 years old? [CM] That's what I remember. [EU] Okay. Do you have any story about how or why she came over? Who she came over with? [CM] No, because her parents were in Watsonville because Perry's grandparents came to the United States. 4 [05:01] [EU] Grandparents on your mother's side? [PM] Mhm. [CM] And so she came when she was 14. [PM] When they came over, they brought the youngest daughter. [EU] So, the grandparents were already in Watsonville? [CM] Yes. [PM] When my mother came? Yeah. [EU] And then – okay. So, they left some children in Japan? [PM] Two. [CM] Well, there were three left in Japan originally. [PM] Well, yeah. My mother – [CM] The took the youngest went with them to the United States. [EU] Which was Perry's mother? [PM] No, my aunt. [CM] No, the youngest. [EU] Okay. [CM] Four sisters. Three were left in Japan with the grandparents. [EU] Okay. [CM] And the mother came when she was 14 and specifically to learn how to sew, I think. It's what she told me. And then she was supposed to go back, but she never did. [EU] So, you think that she wanted to learn how to make Western style clothing? [CM] Clothes. 5 [PM] And the other two stayed in Japan. [EU] Did they ever come later? [PM] No. [EU] So, and then so, her oldest sister was here though? [PM] and [CM] The youngest. The two older sisters were in Japan. And I don't know which – one of them died in the Hiroshima bombing – the A bomb. [EU] Okay. [PM] And the other one was in Yanai where my mother was born. When I went overseas, I visited her – first and only time. [EU] Uh-huh. What – Do you have any – I mean where did she live? Was it in a farm, a village, in the city? [PM] No, it was in the town. [EU] In Hiroshima? [PM] No, in Yanai which was right below Hiroshima. [EU] Do you know what the family did? [PM] Oh, they had a shop. Now, I don't really remember exactly what kind of a shop it was. [CM] Well, that was your aunt – [PM] Yeah. [CM] So, not necessarily your grandparents' or, I mean, your mother's grandparents. [PM] What? The store? The store you mean? I have no idea where the store started. [CM] Because she married into this family. [PM] Oh yeah, she was Yoshi, wasn't she? [CM] No. Your aunt was. [PM] Yeah, that's what I'm saying. The aunt. 6 [CM] The youngest one got Yoshi, not the oldest one. [PM] The one that was in Yanai. [CM] Why would she have Yoshi? [PM] No, not Yoshi. She went as – that's right, she married into that other family there. [CM] That's right. [PM] That's right. Okay. Yeah, yeah. [CM] The youngest one took over the maiden name Jumura. She got the Yoshi. [PM] Okay. Yeah, okay. You know what Yoshi is? [EU] I'm sorry? [PM] Do you know what that means? [EU] No. [CM] Oh, that means. [PM] The – the name is very important – the name continues. [EU] Okay. [PM] And there were four daughters. [EU] Okay. [PM] So, one of them had to bring a husband into the family. [CM] To take over the name. [EU] Okay. [PM] That's what they call a Yoshi – he comes in as – that's a "Yoshi" - that's what they call him. [EU] Oh. [CM] He changes his name and takes over her – 7 [EU] And so what was their family name? [PM] Jumura. [EU] So, he took over – [PM] No, she took over – [CM] The youngest daughter. [PM] Here, that was here. She got a Yoshi. [EU] So her husband then took her family name. [CM] And that's far going into your aunt's family. That's not – [EU] No, no it's fine. So it's interesting that even here in the United States they would continue those practices. [PM] Yeah. [CM] Very rare, but it has happened. [PM] Mhm. [EU] And do you know how your parents met? They met in Watsonville? [PM] How? I don't know either. [EU] What – what was your father doing? [PM] He was working at the grocery store. [CM] I have no idea, I mean, in those days the marriages were arranged mostly. [EU] So, you think that their marriage was arranged too? [10:02] [PM] Oh, I'm sure. [EU] Okay. So, your father then was working in a shop, you think? 8 [PM] Yeah, I think he was working in a shop. We heard stories where he was at a grocery store, I guess, and he would go around to these different farms and deliver things, you know. That's what I heard. [EU] Did he ever work on any of the farms or? [PM] No, not that I know of. [EU] Okay. So, do you know when they were married? Did I ask you that? [PM] Do you remember? [CM] No, your sister was born – what? [PM] 1919. [CM] 1919. So, I would assume that they married around – about 1917 or 18 which would make her – if I said she came over in 1912? [PM] That would make her 19 or so. [EU] 1917. So, your mother was fairly young then, if she came over in 1912 – [CM] Yeah, 19 or 20 when she – [PM] Yeah. [CM] She came over when she was 14. [EU] 14 in 1912. [CM] That's what I figured. [EU] Yeah, yeah. [PM] We're just going back trying to tie in dates. [EU] Yeah, yeah. So, let's see – so, they were married and you had what a brother and a sister? [PM] Oh, I have an older sister and a younger brother. [EU] And so you grew up in Watsonville? [PM] Mhm. 9 [EU] Where – where did you live? In the town or the country? [PM] Yeah, in the town. We lived in town and we lived there until we evacuated. [EU] Oh, yeah, at the beginning of the war. Did – then you went to school in Watsonville? [PM] Yeah, through high school. [EU] Was there much of a Japanese community around there? [PM] Yeah, there were quite a few Japanese there. You know. Yeah, there were quite a few. [CM] Well, there had to be, to support a Buddhist church. [PM] Yeah. [EU] So, did you go to the Buddhist church? [PM] Yeah, well, we were – you know, you go with your parents and – [EU] Mhm. [PM] So, we were basically raised in Buddhist. [EU] Uh-huh. [PM] We had one Christian Church and one Buddhist church. The Jewish had a whole bunch of churches in Sacramento and the population was much greater than what we had there. [EU] While growing up, did you speak English or Japanese with your parents? [PM] A mixture. [EU] A mixture. [PM] [light laughter] Well, basically Japanese, you know, but we'd mix it up. [EU] So, did you learn your Japanese at home or did you go to a Japanese school? [PM] Well, we had Japanese school where we went on, I think, maybe we went on Saturday, but I don't recall whether we went Saturday or after regular school, I can't remember. But, most of us were not that interested, for we didn't learn very well. [EU] Okay. Well, what were you interested in? Did you participate in sports? 10 [PM] Oh, well, you know, we had our own sport teams and things you know, like Church organizations. [EU] Uh-huh. What sports did you play? [PM] Baseball, basketball. I guess those were the two. [EU] Was there much of – I mean, Japanese supermarkets and Japanese stores? [PM] Yeah, there were stores and you know, we had grocery stores and – [CM] Barber shop. [PM] Barber shop. We even had a pharmacy. [EU] Did you go into San Francisco? [PM] Every now and then. Not very often. [EU] Not very often. [PM] It was still at least 100 miles. [EU] Okay. [PM] Those days, 100 miles was pretty far. [EU] It was pretty far. Yeah, okay. So, in high school, what were your favorite subjects? What were you most interested in? [15:06] [PM] Well, when we went to high school, the first question that your advisor asked you was, "Do you intend to go to college?" And if you said "yes" well then they would say "here" and you would have college prep courses. If you said "no" they put the men in shop and Ag and things of that sort. They put the women in sewing and cooking, I guess. So, if you were going to college, it was four years of this and four years of that, you know. [EU] And so that's the course you got in on. Did your parents expect you, encourage you then? [PM] Oh, yeah, they did. But, they encouraged us into a profession that was a self-employed type of a thing. The reason was you couldn't find a job. [EU] And why was that? 11 [PM] Discrimination. And because of that, you found that most people would go into a self-employment type of a situation. They went into medicine. They went into dentistry. Very few went into engineering where you had to be employed by someone. Back then, you went into pharmacy, you know, things of that sort. [EU] And what were you planning then to go into? [PM] Well, I started out in Junior College in Salinas and it was just kind of a prep to get into Cal. [EU] University of California at Berkeley? [PM] Yeah, which was I guess the normal procedure, you went into community college and then from there you went into – [CM] It's cheaper that way – [PM] Yeah – [CM] You live at home and you get your two years out of the way because once you go to Cal you got to have dorm fees and all that. [PM] Of course, the war started before I got there. [EU] Yeah, so did you finish Salinas with Junior College? [PM] Yeah, yeah, I finished the Junior College and then, in fact, I got my diploma when I was in camp. [PM] It took me a little longer then my two years – [CM] Evidently. Evidently. Because I got mine in June. [Laughter] [EU] So, how old were you when the war started in 1941? [PM] and [CM] Twenty. [EU] Twenty. And you were in junior college. [PM] Yeah, junior college. [CM] You were still in college when the war started? [PM] Hmm… 12 [CM] It started in December. [PM] Yeah, I guess. [CM] I guess if you got your degree in camp, I guess. [EU] Do you remember Pearl Harbor? [PM] Oh yeah. [EU] What were you doing then? [PM] Well, we were playing basketball in San Jose when we heard this you know, the war started. Pearl Harbor. So, the game stopped. [EU] What kind of game was this? [PM] Oh, it was the church league. We were playing probably some Buddhist church team in San Jose. So, when the war – when the news of it came out, everybody just quit and went home. [EU] What, what did you think? [PM] Oh, I don't remember. [EU] Yeah. [PM] Probably disgusted. Of course, we're too young. At twenty – [CM] Yeah, in those days at twenty, we were pretty naïve. [PM] Yeah. Pretty young. [CM] Not like the twenties today. [PM] Yeah, we – I'm sure with the background we have now, things would have been a lot different the way we did things, but in those days, why, you followed what they told you. [EU] Did your parents – I mean what did your parents think about Pearl Harbor? Did they harbor any – [PM] I don't know how they felt or – [CM] Well, my mother probably thought that that was so dumb. 13 [PM] Now, that's true. But, other than that, I have no idea. All I remember is that when we were in camp and this "no-no" business came out, well they said "okay you, you kids" you know, it was up to us. Not, well most families, the parents decided the kids went along, but I think in our case the parents said, "Okay, what you want to do?" And there was no doubt in our minds. [20:00] [EU] You would stay here. [PM] Oh yeah, we had no idea about wanting to go back that way. None of us had been there. [EU] So, when were you evacuated then? [PM] '42. Spring of '42. [EU] So, after Pearl Harbor in December, then you went back to school for awhile? [PM] Yeah, I guess, well, we were restricted, we couldn't travel. [CM] To travel what? Seven miles? [PM] Well, of course, going to Salinas was about 20 miles. [CM] I don't think you could have. [PM] So, I must have been through school by then. I don't remember. [EU] Where, where did you go first? Did you go to an assembly center? [PM] Yeah, Salinas. [EU] So, Salinas? Okay. Then, were you able to study at the Salinas assembly center? [PM] No. I guess I was through then by that time with all the required courses and everything because I remember when I was in camp, they gave me my AA. [CM] So, you must have finished in January of – [PM] Yeah, I may have, yeah. [EU] So, they gave you your AA degree in camp. [PM] Well, they just gave it to me. [EU] Just gave it to you. 14 [PM] I think one of the teachers came in and gave it. Oh, it was a pretty small school at that time. It's called Hartnell now. I imagine it's a pretty good-sized school now. [EU] So, what – when you went to the assembly center, what did your parents do with their home and their - ? [PM] Oh, well, we just locked it up and they told us you could take whatever you could carry. Was that what it was? So, we left most of the stuff there. [EU] Was there someone in town that was going to look out [for the stuff]? [PM] Yeah, the next door neighbor was supposed to take care of it. [EU] And did they? [PM] I think so. Except I hear that they came out and people took all the plants that were out in the yard. [EU] Oh yeah? [PM] Yeah. [Chuckles] [EU] So, were you – after the camp, were your parents able to come back to that house? [PM] No, no. They sold it before. [EU] They had sold it. [PM] Yeah, yeah. It was – the house and everything was sold while we were in camp. [EU] Okay, okay. Then, how long were you in the assembly center at Salinas? [PM] When did we go to Tule Lake then? End of '42? [CM] Oh no, it was over the summer that we were there. [PM] So, we went in summer. [CM] We went in summer and we didn't stay very long. [PM] So, we left there in the summer of '42. [CM] I'm drawing a blank. Well, I can't remember more than a month or two is all we stayed I think. 15 [PM] It seems to me longer than that. [CM] Well, I don't remember much, too. [PM] Yeah, probably about the summer that we left and went to Tule Lake. [EU] And then you went to – [PM] Yeah. [EU] Your whole family then? [PM] Yeah. [EU] Your parents and your brother and sister? [PM] Yeah. [EU] Okay. Then, how long were you at Tule Lake? [PM] About a year. [EU] While you were in Tule Lake, what did you do? [PM] I taught high school. I taught in high school. [EU] What subjects did you teach? [PM] Math. [EU] Math. [PM] Yeah. Yeah, I taught algebra and geometry. That was interesting. I think that's probably where I got the interest I wanted to teach. [EU] Uh-huh. Did your parents – what did they do in camp? Did they have jobs or – [PM] Oh no, I don't think they had jobs. I can't remember what all they did. Do you remember what? [CM] Your parents? [PM] Yeah. 16 [CM] No, I can't remember. [PM] Because we didn't know each other then. [EU] Yeah. And did – what – when were you able to leave Tule Lake? [PM] Oh, it must have been about the summer of '43 when I left. There were people leaving by that time. And it was just a question of some place to go to. [25:09] [EU] And where did you go then? [PM] I went to Chicago and there was a brethren hostel there that was letting us come to. [EU] Okay. [PM] So, there were a number of us there from different camps. There was a number of less than ten, but they were good enough to take us in. We went there and couldn't get into school although they claimed there were schools that would take you there. There weren't too many schools that would take us and so I went to just a regular day labor, job just to have enough money to get by. [EU] So, you were living with all these other young men? [PM] Yeah, well, until we find a place to stay and then we moved there because we couldn't stay there that long. [EU] And so you moved into apartments? [PM] Yeah, in fact, I moved into the YMCA. [EU] Okay. Was your brother also there? [PM] No, he went to – [CM] Utah, I think. Farm or something. [PM] Yeah, some place in Utah or Montana or someplace out there – Idaho. Oh, yeah, he went out there as a farm laborer. Yeah, he went out there and then he moved to Minneapolis. [EU] And so you and your brother were out there, what about your sister? [PM] She stayed with my mother. Well, my father died in '43. So, she stayed with my mother. 17 [EU] In Tule Lake? [PM] Yeah, and stayed there until they had to move. They went from there to Amache. [EU] Amache was a camp in Colorado? [PM] Yeah, Colorado. That was '44 or '43? [CM] ��43 [PM] ‘43 [CM] Your sister got married in '44. In January in Amache. [EU] Do you know why your mother and sister had to leave then to Amache? [PM] We had to leave Tule Lake. [CM] Tule Lake became segregated. [EU] Okay. Segregated for? [PM] Well, are you familiar with this balloting of the "no no, yes yes"? [EU] I've heard of that. Do you want to explain a little bit? [PM] Well, I don't remember the exact wordings, but one was the – [CM] Your loyalty to the United States and for the old folks we wouldn't let them sign because they can't renounce their Japanese citizenship because they're not allowed citizenship in the United States. [EU] Right. [CM] They were not allowed to take a test to become a citizen. They'd be people with no country then. So, we would not let them sign these. [EU] So your family like Perry's family, the children made the decision? [CM] Mhm. [EU] And so – [CM] So, we were shipped out. 18 [PM] Yeah. That became the camp for the "no no" people and I guess if was continued long enough, they would have shipped them back to Japan. They did send some, didn't they? [CM] Mhm. Some went – wanted to go back. The old folks at least. Kids had no choice. If they were under age, they had no choice but to go with the family. But, they were allowed to come back. [PM] Yeah, after the war they came back, a lot of them came back didn't they? Yeah, the kids. I don't know if the parents came back. [CM] Well, yeah. Some of them. [PM] Some of them did. [CM] Oh, well from what I read. [PM] Now, that – that is when they started getting the riots in Tule Lake. [EU] Yeah, I've heard that Tule Lake was pretty radical – [PM] Oh yeah, it got pretty rough after the "no no" people got in there after and all the other people left you know. [CM] Yeah, everybody was just shipped out to different camps – Utah, Arkansas, Idaho, and Colorado. [EU] So, Perry, your mother and sister then – you said your father died in the camp? [PM] Yeah, he died at Tule Lake. [EU] Was he sick or? [PM] He got pneumonia and that was in ‘43. So then, my sister and mother moved to Arizona. [30:01] [CM] Arizona? [PM] I mean Colorado. [EU] Colorado? Okay, okay. [PM] I was thinking of [?]. [EU] So, you were in Chicago though? 19 [PM] Yeah. [EU] Were you ever able to get into a college? [PM] Uh, no. I got drafted before then. You see they – they reclassified us. We became undesirable aliens and then I guess in '44 they changed that to 1A again. So they changed it, and then they started drafting us. I was in Chicago and I guess my brother was in Denver at that time. So, I knew I was going to get drafted, so I left Denver – I mean left Chicago – to come back to Denver and in the meanwhile my mother and sister were there, too, so I moved to Denver and then I got drafted in Denver. [EU] Okay. And so, you went into the Army then? [PM] Uh yeah, well, we had no choice either you know. We were drafted as replacements for the 442nd. You see they were all over Italy. So we were drafted, took basic training and we were supposed to – [CM] This was in the all-Japanese unit. [EU] The 442nd was – [PM] Yeah, uh-huh. [CM] Uh-huh. [PM] Well, the training – the basic training was all the same – it was all Japanese. They took two companies, trained us, and shipped us out. [EU] The 442nd – they had been fighting in Italy – [PM] And France. [EU] And Europe – [PM] Yeah, you hear the people that were over there and they had some pretty hard times over there. I can see why, too. [CM] And in the Pacific they were interpreters from Minnesota. [PM] Yeah, Snelling. Savage – I guess it started out as Savage and then Snelling and then it became Monterey. [EU] So, you were being trained as a soldier. You expect to go over to Europe with the 442nd? 20 [PM] Well, yeah, yeah. [EU] And did you ever get over to Europe? [PM] Uh, no, we went to Fort Mead which is in Maryland, [?], I guess, and then the war ended. So, I tried to get to Germany, but I couldn't get there. Of course, the war's still going on, in the Pacific, so they came in to try and recruit us to go to language school. So, you might say that maybe half of them went to language school and the other half got shipped to Germany. And for some reason or another, there were about sixty of us that didn't go to either place and we ended up in Texas. And then from Texas, we ended up in Monterey. [EU] So, you did end up in the language school? [PM] Well, that's where it was just getting started there. They were still in Minnesota, but they were getting moved over there. But, in the meanwhile, the war ended in the Pacific, so they said well, they were going to form these military government teams and so they put us in there. We told them we couldn't speak the language, but they said "that's alright you'll learn." Well you know, that's not an easy language to learn. [EU] No, it isn't. [PM] So, we ended up there – we ended up in Japan. [EU] So, this was – you were – this was during the occupation then? [PM] Yeah, well, we were – the war ended in September – [EU] Uh, August. [PM] August? We landed in September, so it's a good thing the war ended, but you know, I spent a year there or a little over a year there and then I came back. [EU] Where in Japan were you? [PM] In Northern Japan, in Sendai. [EU] Sendai. What was it like – I mean, how did the Japanese react to you the Americans coming over and to you in particular for being a Japanese American? [PM] Well, you know, you're in G.I. uniform and if you didn't put on any appearance that you recognized what they were saying – [CM] That you understood. 21 [PM] Yeah, yeah they would keep talking, but the minute you made any sign that you knew what they were saying, they would say anymore. So, they knew probably that we were Japanese, but they weren't sure. In fact they would say, he sure looks like a Japanese you know. We could speak enough to converse, but that was about it. [EU] Was Sendai pretty much destroyed? [PM] Oh, yeah, it was all burned. In fact, most of Japan was burned. When I was there I spent two weeks traveling the island and I would say ninety percent of the place was burned. [35:18] [EU] At that point, were you able to go to Hiroshima? [PM] Yeah, I did. I went through there and there were nothing but tree stumps. [EU] Yeah. [PM] And Yanani in Yamaguchi Prefecture. I went through there and I went to my aunt's place where my mother was born, so I visited there for a little while. It was just you know the first time seeing them, there's not really a sense of saying these are my relatives, you know, other than that they told you. They looked alike. That was about it. So, that was the first and only time I've seen them. My mother went back in the ‘50's, wasn't it? [CM] I don't remember. [PM] We were already in Albuquerque, so it was in the mid-fifties sometime, I think. She got her citizenship and then she went over there for the first time since she came over here. [EU] Did she talk about what it was like seeing her sisters again, her sister again? [PM] Oh, she kept on saying that she wanted to go back to Japan, but when she got there and came back, we never heard that again. So, I guess it wasn't a real pleasant trip then. [EU] Yeah, yeah. [PM] Wasn't what she thought it was going to be like. [EU] Well, I'm sure Japan had changed so much. [PM] Oh, yeah, well. People keep telling me that they've been over there – you should see what it's like. Stuff happened and it changed. I didn't have any desire to go back. I don't know why, but I'm still an American. [EU] Yeah. So, you were – when did you get out of the Army then? That must have been forty – 22 [PM] '46. You say I got home in November? [CM] October. [PM] October? [CM] Eli's birthday. [PM] Oh. But, then I went back to Chicago and got into school in January. [EU] What school – what university? [PM] Northwestern. And that was just by accident that I happened to end up there. [EU] How did that – [PM] Well, I went to visits a friend and he was going to register for school and he said, "Come on, Perry." So, I went with him and he sent me into the Dean's office, so I went and talked to the Dean and before I knew it, I was signed up for the next semester. I signed up in business which was – I'd never had a business course before. Of course the intent there was that I could always transfer once I got in. [EU]: Well, why did they sign you up for business? [PM] Well, that's where he was going to register. That's where I tagged along with him, see. My intent was well, let's sign-up and then I can transfer, you know, within the college if I had to or somewhat within the school and when I got in there and started taking course, it was interesting. I said, "oh well, I'll see where it goes." So, I graduated. [EU] Were you on the G.I. Bill then? [PM] Yeah, mhm, oh yeah, we couldn't afford to go otherwise. [EU] Did you also work? [PM] No, no. Got a little help from home. [EU] So, when did you graduate then? [PM] Oh, I got my bachelor's in '48. I got a master's in '50, I guess. Was it '50? [EU] Was that also from Northwestern? [PM] Yeah, mhm. 23 [EU] Also, in business? [PM] Yeah. [EU] Okay. So, let's take a break. [PM] Okay. [EU] This will be the end of Part 1. [PM] Part 1. [Laughter] [end 39:34] |
| Full resolution | Volume30/perry_and_chiyo_mori_part1con.pdf
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