Dr. Kent Haldan to Come to Nor Cal Book Launch

Dr. Kent Haldan, whose research made possible Vanished: Lompoc's Japanese, will be present at the Northern California Book Launch and Lompoc Nisei Reunion Party.

Haldan, a professor at Diablo Valley College in Concord has devoted much of his academic career to the Nikkei community in Santa Barbara County. When he learned of the research for Vanished, he generously made his work available.

Haldan provided a hand-written list of all one hundred Lompoc Issei families, copies of the results from the survey of Lompoc Issei farmers in February 1942, a copy of the famous map of the Lompoc Valley showing Issei farms and Camp Cooke which Earl Warren used to urge evacuation, and copies of the War Relocation Authority final report for the Lompoc area. All of them were vital for understanding the interviews conducted for the book.

Dr. Haldan is the second "big name" to announce plans to attend. Chiyo Iwamoto Kobayashi, whose family serves as the connecting link to the various portions of the book, previously said she would come all the way from Los Angeles for the occasion.

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