Letters, We Get Letters

In the aftermath of the reunion/party/teach-in/booksigning at the Japanese-American National Museum, we have received lots of calls, e-mails and letters. Here are two of them.

It was great to see you again and finally meet your wife Barbara.  Jean and I really had a great time.  For me, it was extremely rewarding because I was able to renew acquaintance with a lot of friends and relatives from my early Lompoc years.  My sister May kept telling me stories about my father catching steelhead trout in the Santa Ynez River.  I started to doubt that he ever caught any steelhead because among her voluminous pictorial documentation of Lompoc I didn't see one picture of anyone catching a steelhead.  I don't recall the woman's name but May informed me she had a picture of her father and my father holding up the steelhead they caught in the Santa Ynez River.  I looked at the picture and sure enough both were holding up steelhead and they were huge.  To me the picture is priceless and I asked her to send me a copy.

I wasn't able to locate the letter from the Department of Fish and Games to the hardware store regarding my father's fishing license.  I did find a letter from the Department of Interior to the Department of Fish and Games requesting them to inform Mr Perrozi (owner of the hardware store) that it is okay to issue a fishing license to my father.  -- George Murakami

It’s been fun being a small part of this journey with you and my mom.  I appreciated the chance to share a thank-you to the Niseis who were in attendance.  If my mom decides to go to the reunion next year, we’ll be sure to look you up. Take care, Mike Mori

JANM Presentation a Monster Event

The presentation and book-signing for Vanished on Saturday at the Japanese American National Museum was a thundering success.

More than seventy-five people attended in the Tateuchi Democracy Forum theatre, a 200-seat hall with cushioned seats. Food was served by volunteers organized by Chiyo Iwamoto Kobayashi and one thousand decorative paper cranes were provided by Tets and Betty Furukawa.

Chris Komai of the museum staff led off with a summation of Vanished and John McReynolds thanked the crowd. “You all have showered me with thanks, but I should be thanking YOU,” he said. He went on to emphasize the importance of “collective memory” and of all of us writing about our families.

He made special note of the contribution of George Yoshitake who had kicked off the research for the book two years ago but who could not be present Saturday.

McReynolds was followed to the podium by former Lompocans Chiyo Iwamoto Kobayashi, Tets Furukawa, Rev. Ed Iwamoto, Jean Nakashima Tekawa, May Murakami Musenga, Kuni Inouye Omura, Mike Mori, Dr. Kent Haldan and Dr. Art Hansen.  “’Vanished,’ what a great title,” exclaimed Hansen.

Connections were re-established after decades, and new bits of information were shared about the post-war climate in Lompoc.

Rev. Ed Iwamoto and Jean Nakashima Tekawa met once again after sixty years. George Murakami and Alan Endo laid eyes on one another for the first time since high school.

Murakami told the story of his father being denied a fishing license in 1946 by a Lompoc hardware store.  He was also able to document that the “No Japs” sign which hung in the window of Al Johnson’s gas station in Lompoc remained there at least through 1963, three years longer than previously estimated.

The impact of the event may be seen in a note sent by John McReynolds to Koji Sakai of the JANM staff.

Hello Koji:

I want to let you know what a special day you and your staff created for me and the contributors to Vanished: Lompoc’s Japanese.

I’m not prone to rave on but honestly, you made us feel like royalty. I was shocked to discover an outside sign reading “Vanished” and arrows to the Tateuchi Democracy Forum. What an honor. I was beyond shocked to see that we were gathering in a Hollywood-quality banked THEATRE with 200 cushioned seats. I would have been happy with a small classroom which for me is a step up.  In most bookstores I make do standing somewhere over in a corner at the end of a book row near the restrooms.  

You arranged everything without missing a beat. The thousand cranes given as a gift by the Furukawa family were placed in a perfect spot. The food that our folks brought was handled just as flawlessly. Chris’ opening comments were so apropos and flattering I had to make sure that my wife was still sitting nearby and that I had not been transported to some alternative reality. You had at least six staff people present. I was just floored. You had Powerpoint available even though when you asked me earlier, I mistakenly told you  that Powerpoint would not be needed. I never seemed to find time to apologize for misleading you. You monitored the time graciously and effectively.  Your staff was courteous and helpful. 

The folks who attended were as pleased as I.  A day which began at 1:30 did not end until about 7:30.

All I can say is thank you, thank you. I was pleased beyond words. When somebody asked me if I was happy with the event I think I mumbled gibberish I was so numb.  Please share this note with your boss. It should go into your personnel file. I can’t wait to see the DVD.

Best wishes,

John

McReynolds’ next public appearance will be at the San Luis Obispo, California, Obon festival on August 6. He will be signing at the Heritage Source booth.

JANM Date Just Four Days Away

The long-awaited visit to the Japanese American National Museum by the Lompoc Nikkei and their friends, including the author of Vanished, is now only four days away.

"We've done more than a dozen speaking engagements and book-signings, but the visit to JANM will probably be the highlight," said John McReynolds today. "The museum is so well-respected and so many people from the Nikkei community have sacrificed for its success that it cannot be otherwise. And also because so many onetime Lompocans relocated to the Los Angeles area."

The event will begin at 2:00 p.m. It will include a welcome from Koji Sakai, JANM Director of Programs, introductions of everyone present, remarks by Mr. McReynolds and comments from Lompocans Chiyo Iwamoto Kobayashi, Rev. Ed Iwamoto, Jean Nakashima Tekawa, May Murakami Musenga, Kuni Inouye Omura, and Michael Mori. It will be concluded by comments from Dr. Kent Haldan and Dr. Arthur Hansen and social time. It will end at 4:00 but there is talk of further social time at a nearby restaurant afterward.

A new addition to the speakers list is Tets Furukawa of Santa Maria who was a friend of many Lompocans at Gila River Camp. Another addition is to the guest list. George Fukawa, who has been ill, is expected to be present. Welcome Tets and George!!

Additional copies of the book will be available in the JANM bookshop.

Six Speakers Sign Up at JANM

Six speakers have signed up to speak at the Vanished presentation and book signing Saturday, June 18, at 2:00 p.m. at the Japanese-American National Museum in Los Angeles.

"I'm overjoyed," said John McReynolds, author of Vanished. "I hope there will be more. Nobody wants to hear me gab for two hours.

Besides the author, other speakers will be Chiyo Iwamoto Kobayashi, Rev. Ed Iwamoto, Jean Nakashima Tekawa, May Murakami Musenga, and Kuni Inouye Omura, all of them onetime residents of Lompoc, followed by Mike Mori, son of a former resident, and Dr. Kent Haldan, whose research was instrumental in the writing of the book.

The draft agenda calls for a welcome by Koji Sakai of JANM, introductions of the attendees, remarks by Mr. McReynolds, comments by the speakers listed and social hour/book signing.

The museum is located at 369 East First Street in downtown Los Angeles.