Yayoi Suzuki, the young woman whose 1942 visit to the Lompoc jail with her father's underwear brought tears to the eyes of readers in Vanished, is planning to be present on Saturday, October 15, at the Japanese-American Museum San Jose.
Now known as Jean Handa, she wrote this week: "My husband’s family is having a family reunion on Oct.14th in San Francisco and we were planning to stay overnight there. However, I will try to meet you at the Japanese museum by one o’clock on Saturday….(Things always seem to happen at once!!!)"
Mrs. Handa is a resident of San Jose. If scheduling works out, she will join author John McReynolds and eye-witness Aki Iwata in speaking about Vanished in the first formal presentation about the book in Northern California.
In February of 1942 Mrs. Handa's father had been jailed by the FBI at the Lompoc police station after mass raids had taken place. More than thirty Lompoc Nikkei leaders were incarcerated at the time. Mr. Suzuki had not been able to bring clothing so two of his daughters brought them to him.
As the girls departed, the prisoners called out to them, "Take care of the women and children." Mrs. Handa said last year that she cried all the way home.
The public is invited to the museum. It is located at 535 North Fifth Street, between Empire and Jackson in Japantown.
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