Things you didn't know about Downey: Paul Yokota
In going through some of our files of saved historical writings of former members of the Downey Historical Society, I found a treasure given to us by Paul N. Yokota. Paul died on March 17, 2008 at the age of 86.
I enjoyed reading his writings again and want to share them with you. Many in Downey probably remember him and all that he did for Downey.
A native Californian born in Yuba City, Calif., most of my life has been spent in the Golden State except for the World War II years. Courtesy of the US government, we sojourned at the Santa Anita racetrack for a half year and at Jerome Relocation Center in Arkansas for one year. All 18,000 of the Santa Anita internees could claim they had slept in Seabiscuit’s stall.
Prior to internment, our family enjoyed the hometowns of Whittier, Norwalk, Artesia, Santa Monica, Los Angeles, Vernon and Downey. Those moves accounted for my attendance at nine schools before matriculating at Huntington Park High School. My formal education was completed at Los Angeles City College and the University of Southern California.
Following internment, we lived in Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio, when Uncle Sam decided to draft me into the Army for a spell. After the war, we returned to Downey, although our home had been burned during our absence.
Starting with a war emergency credential in 1947, 37 years of educational service in the Los Angeles Unified School District included teaching positions at Albion Street, Marianna Avenue and Ford Boulevard Schools. In 1956, I became vice principal at Eastman Avenue School, possibly the first person of Asian descent to be a public school administrator in the U.S. A year later I was assigned as principal of Marianna and remained there for 11 years. In 1968, I moved to Lorena Street School and was principal there for 16 years.
Before the Downey schools were unified in 1961, I was a member of the Old River School District Board of Trustees for two terms totaling six years.
In retirement, I volunteer at Rancho Los Amigos Medical Center, Meals on Wheels, Downey Adult School ESL, and work with community organizations. I am past president of Downey Presbyterian Men, Whittier Division of California Retired Teachers Association, Downey AARP Chapter 262, Downey Committee on Aging, Downey Rio Hondo Unit of American Cancer Society and Downey Meals on Wheels. I have been active with the First Presbyterian Church of Downey for more than 40 years, completing my fourth term as elder on the session in 1998.
In recent years I have been a surrogate parent for IEP conferences at Allen Young School and a Foster Grandparent Advisory Council member at Metropolitan State Hospital. In addition to tutoring in the adult literacy program, I am a member of the Downey City Library Board. I try to squeeze in some tennis from time to time.
Detainees at Jerome War Relocation Center (ArkansasOnline.com)
Life at Jerome
Executive Order 9066 in the spring of 1942 set in motion dramatic changes which profoundly impacted the lives of 120,000 Japanese aliens and their children, mostly American citizens. They were forced out from the Western Defense Command area by presidential decree.
For most Japanese Americans, temporary internment followed at race tracks and county fairgrounds where they were housed in existing horse stables under the Wartime Civilian Control Administration. This lasted for a half year or so while 10 more permanent camps were built under the War Relocation Authority in the interior on desert and desolate lands far removed from metropolitan areas.
The 10 WRA centers were situated at Manzanar and Tule Lake in California, Poston and Gila River in Arizona, Heart Mountain in Wyoming, Minidoka in Idaho, Topaz in Utah, Granada (Amache) in Colorado, and Jerome and Rohwer in Arkansas.
All WRA centers had the same basi block plan: two rows of six barracks separated by a block mess hall, a block laundry and a block toilet. The barracks were covered with tar paper for insulation and were heated by pot-bellied stoves. Each barrack had six rooms of varying sizes to accommodate small to large families.
The last WRA camp to open on Oct. 6, 1942, Jerome also had the shortest life span, closing June 30, 1944 to make way for use as a facility for German and Italian prisoners of war. In the southeast corner of Arkansas close to the Mississippi River, Jerome was built on swampland which had some of the deadliest species of snakes serving as deterrents to escape.
Most of the Jerome residents came from Santa Anita and Fresno assembly Centers with more than 800 arriving later from hawaii. The WRA center was named after Jerome, the closest town, but Denson was the official post office name. During its 21-month existence, there were 239 births, 76 deaths and 103 weddings in Jerome. Fifty-two entered the armed forces in that time.
Unforgettable recollections of Jerome were the following:
Nightly the searchlights crisscrossed the center from guard towers on the perimeter.
Spectacular electrical storms often resulted in humid weather for days.
Insects abounded including chiggers, crickets, mosquitoes and fireflies.
Arkansas water was so soft one felt soapy after showering and rinsing off thoroughly.
Some enterprising individuals searched for “kobu” (gnurls) to fashion decorative pieces.
From scrap lumber many residents made furniture ingeniously in attractive styles.
Montgomery Ward and Sears catalogs were extensively used to obtain mail order items.
Wood chopping crews went into the surrounding forest to procure firewood for the pot-bellied stoves. Those closest to the stove were baked, others further away shivered.
All the customary community services were active: schools, recreation, churches, hospital, fire and police departments, barber shop, shoe repair shop, canteens, laundry and newspaper.
Because shrimp was readily available from the Gulf region, regularly “shrimp with rutabagas” was served much to the disgust of most people.
“Whtie Christmas” sung by the Seno brothers with snow on the ground was a standout camp experience.
The usual holiday activities were pursued including “mochi tsuki” for New Year’s Day.
Sugar beet workers were among the first permitted to leave camp to harvest crops in the Midwestern states.
Nisei soldiers from Camp Shelby, Mississippi, visited Jerome and Rohwer.
While the majority of Jerome residents opted to return to the West Coast after the war, many chose to remain in the Midwest and East. For all, the Jerome experience was a life-altering period.
Children play at Rohwer War Relocation Center. (Photo courtesy Arkansas State University)
What it means to be an American
Although over our lifetime we have gone through many ups and downs, this country is the best there is. Let me explain some of the reasons for this assessment.
As Japanese Americans, we have suffered some discrimination, however, many things have improved with the passage of time. We have been afforded public school education which has enabled us to gain skills and knowledge to explore fields of work hitherto not open to us.
The United States of America is a nation willing to own up to its mistakes and to make amends for them. The internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II was a huge mistake and many people lost their property and valuables, but decades later the government passed legislation to make a public apology and send reparations to those still living at that time. One-third had already passed away, but the remaining two-thirds did receive these acknowledgments.
Many of those interned in relocation centers spread across Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Utah and Wyoming returned to the West Coast after the war. However, a significant number chose to remain in the Midwest and West where they found less prejudice and were able to seek housing and work to their liking. The WWII dislocation of Japanese Americans was wrong but it enabled them to see other parts of the country to gain another perspective which proved to be more favorable to many.
In 1952, federal legislation enabled Asians to acquire naturalization privileges just like all other immigrants. Grandma Yokota became a naturalized citizen in the mid-1950s and voted in elections until she passed away at almost 98 years of age.
There are still imperfections but on the whole our country has tried to live up to the challenge of being the home of the free and the brave with liberty and justice for all. We all have the obligation to do whatever we can to work toward the goal of a more perfect union.
We are now blessed in being able to pursue life careers in almost every field of endeavor. Even the women are now gaining acceptance in many areas closed to them in the past. We live in a nation still perfecting itself and it will never be perfect because we are human beings prone to make errors. It’s still the best we have in this universe and we are blessed to be living here.