Lompoc Pre-Launch Party

Hi Everybody:

Here is the first review of the Lompoc Pre-Launch Party on Saturday and its aftermath. The words come from Chiyo Iwamoto Kobayashi.

“I finished the book Sunday night. I had a very good feeling about how you interspersed all our comments with the research. I thought you did a good job without hurting anybody. You put it in such a way that nobody will feel anything derogatory. You had the insight to do a marvelous job.”

The turnout at the party almost doubled predictions. Seventy people attended including former Lompocans Kaoru Bill Honda, Michi Hozaki Mori, Katie Inouye Kayser, Kuni Inouye Omura, Chiyo Iwamoto Kobayashi and Marian Nishimura Konishi. Many of their friends and relatives came too, along with Lompoc contributors to the book such as George Yoshitake, Donnie Grossi, and Madeleine Zeische Evans. A delegation from the Lompoc Historical Society, a raft of proofreaders and editors, and, from Santa Maria, Tets Furukawa and Dawn Kamiya also attended.

Among the most moving moments came when George Yoshitake took the microphone to talk of the significance of 1942 and 1945 and how it should not be forgotten. He remembered that on his last Pilgrimage to Manzanar he met a delegation of Muslims.

The surprise attendee was Aki Iwata who came all the way from Sunnyvale. It was Mr. Iwata’s eyewitness view of Lompoc in the early 1950’s which allowed the book to contrast the postwar period so dramatically with the rich Nikkei community of 1941 and before.

As expected, a photographic breakthrough took place. We identified two of the four figures on the cover. The woman overseeing the little girls is Midori Suzuki. The third little girl is Yo Hozaki, eldest daughter of the photographer.

The first error also cropped up. Mr. Iwata’s name appears in the Family Tree section where it should not, but it is missing from the Index where it should be found. Oops.