Interviews

1. Father's role in starting the Wailea Milling Company

2. Sale of Wailea Milling Company during World War II

3. Growing up with Japanese language and values

4. Gender discrimination in education field

5. Memories of family dinners

6. Symbolic New Year’s foods prepared from scratch

7. Being a tomboy

8. Taking over husband’s orchid farm and nursery

9. Father interrogated by FBI, but not taken away

10. Victory Corps Work during World War II

Oda,Margaret

(1925 - 2018) Nisei educator from Hawai‘i

Taking over husband’s orchid farm and nursery

My husband had, yes, orchid farm and we grew antheriums, we grew dendrobiums, we grew…mainly in Kapoa land, we grew vandal orchids to make leis. We had about 28 acres there and then we had a 7-acre nursery in Hilo and when he died, I had to take over.

So I had to learn a lot about growing plants. I used to go on weekends because I was still working and spend my weekends in Hilo going to the nurseries, going to the farm and checking up on the work that they were doing. But the antheriums are really excellent crop except you have to be very careful in Hilo because of the rain. When it rains too much, then you get the blight and the whole crop of antheriums can die. So that’s one of the problems that we had. But there are some excellent antherium farms in Hilo. So I used to go and talk to those people and learn a little more about how to grow antheriums and dendrobiums.

Finally, well I sold the Kapoa farm in 1991 or 2, I think. And then the nursery finally in the year…let’s see. 1998.

flowers Hawaii horticulture nurseries (horticulture) plants United States

Date: May 31, 2006

Location: Hawai‘i, US

Interviewer: Akemi Kikumura Yano

Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum

Interviewee Bio

Dr. Margaret Oda was born on the Big Island of Hawai‘i, in Wailea. A Nisei, her parents were Japanese immigrants from Hiroshima. Her father worked on a sugar cane farm where he eventually became the Wailea Milling Company’s vice president.

She received her Master’s degree in Mathematics at Michigan State University, and later her Doctorate of Education from the University of Hawai‘i at Manōa in 1977. She started her teaching career in 1951 rising to positions as vice principal and principal at several public elementary and high schools throughout Hawai‘i. Dr. Oda later served as Deputy Superintendent for the State of Hawai‘i Department of Education for three years and twice served as Honolulu District Superintendent in the 1980s. She remained in the administration realm of public education until her retirement in the late 1990s.

Dr. Oda is known for her philanthropic work in the field of education. She has served on community organization boards such as the Prince Akihito Scholarship Foundation, Hawai‘i Preparatory Academy and Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i. She is the past chair of the Museum's Hawai‘i Advisory Committee. Dr. Oda currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Japanese American National Museum. (April 6, 2007)