Lucille and Kaoru Honda Spot a Familiar Name

Last week we published a newly-discovered listing of the Issei workers at Burpee Seed Company. Lucille and Kaoru Bill Honda read it and saw a name they knew, Tsumesaburo Hayashi.

“I read the interesting news from the Lompoc Valley Historical Society. Bill and I were  surprised to read his  parents names on the list of the earliest-hired people at the Burpee Seed Company in 1927. WOW!  Also, their friend, Tsumesaburo Hayashi's name was listed. It was a real coincidence that last Friday Bill's brother, Mas' widow, Jane,  and her daughter Patti and son-in-law Ken happened to be visiting us here in Santa Barbara from Culver City and we were discussing  Lompoc 's  old timers of Japanese ancestry.  Patti even mentioned that she and her dad  (Mas) flew to Salt Lake City to attend Mr. Hayashi's funeral many years ago. Mr. Hayashi came to Keetley, Utah, together with the Japanese who relocated there, and after the war he moved o Salt Lake City and periodically came to visit us.

"So, thanks for the informative information about Senmatsu, Sumi and Mr. Hayashi.   To hear that the California State Museum is now housing your "Vanished" book is terrific.  Great news. We are so happy that you have your "Vanished" website in order to keep everyone informed.  Thank You!” -Lucille Y. Honda

Mr. Hayashi appears in Vanished on page 97 but his first name is listed as it was in other sources as Tsunejiro. Lucille also described Mr. Hayashi's humble personality. “He was a bachelor and a very quiet person. I remember when he sometimes came to visit us at our home in Salt Lake City. He was a man of very few words. Bill and his siblings knew Mr. Hayashi ever since they were tiny tykes.  As is the Japanese custom, he always brought goodies when he visited us.”

Thank you Lucille and Bill.