Interviews
Dusty Weather at Topaz, Utah
Now, San Franciscans are used to very mild weather. You know, we never really have an extreme summer of any sort. Nor do we have any kind of winter. No snow and whatever. So when we went to camp, we were dressed in our San Francisco type clothes.
So it was winter when we, no, I’m sorry, it was summer when we arrived at Topaz. And it was alkaline dust blowing, and in the distance, we could see rows of black tar papered barracks as we approached. And I looked over to my grandfather who was dressed in a fedora and a black overcoat. He had on a three piece suit with a vest, all black. And by the time we got to camp, it was all white. It was just covered with alkaline dust.
And as the dust whipped up, we suddenly realized, oh my gosh. We have to get indoors. So we rushed to our assigned barrack, went in, and it was equally as bad inside as it was out. Because it was just tar paper and very little insulation. So we opened up the window to try to get some fresh air. And of course, all that dust came blowing in. So it was a miserable first encounter of camp.
Date: August 26, 2015
Location: California, US
Interviewer: John Esaki
Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum
Explore More Videos
Grandparents were incarcerated in Jerome, Arkansas
(b. 1952) Former banking executive, born in Hawaii
Grandfather helping administration in camp
(b. 1952) Former banking executive, born in Hawaii
Celebrating his birthday on December 7, 1941
(1914–2015) Nisei YMCA and Japanese American community leader
Starting a YMCA program in camp
(1914–2015) Nisei YMCA and Japanese American community leader
Leaving Topaz
(1914–2015) Nisei YMCA and Japanese American community leader
Leaving a camp to attend college
(1914–2015) Nisei YMCA and Japanese American community leader
Keeping Japanese Performance Arts Alive in the Camps
(b. 1932) Nisei American stage, film, and TV actress
The Emotional Toll of Being Incarcerated in Camp during World War II
(b. 1932) Nisei American stage, film, and TV actress
Sister’s Trauma from being Incarcerated during World War II
(b. 1932) Nisei American stage, film, and TV actress
Winners and losers
Professor of Law, University of Sao Paulo, Lawyer, Translator (b. 1948)
Loss of happy-go-lucky adolescence in Puyallup Assembly Center
(b. 1923) Nisei from Washington. Resisted draft during WWII.
First impression of New York City during war time
(1915 - 2011) Nisei florist who resettled in New York City after WW II. Active in Japanese American civil rights movement