Partial Transcript: Tom Shigetoki Umeda was born on August 25, 1916, in Los Angeles, CA. Tom's parents are Juju and Toriko Umeda. Tom's father was from Hiroshima, Japan, and was the second son. His mother was born in Tokyo. Later her family moved to Hiroshima.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: Issei parents; wedding

Subjects:

Partial Transcript: Tom's parents have an arranged marriage and move to the United States. In Japan, Tom's father worked on a farm. After moving to the United States, he started a fruit stand business and then a barbershop business. Tom discusses neighborhood friends.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: friendship; Issei parents; wedding

Subjects:

Partial Transcript: Tom's father's barbershop was Umeda Barbershop, located in Los Angeles, CA. Tom has two younger sisters Sumiko and Kiyoko. Kiyoko married Masao Tominaga, a Nisei veteran. They live in Sawtelle, CA. Tom was born in Los Angeles, CA, and the family lived near Chinatown behind their barbershop.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: Americans of Japanese Ancestry; family; Issei parents; Nisei

Subjects:

Partial Transcript: Tom attended elementary school for eight years and participated in an athletic club. Later, he goes to Lincoln High School for four years. Tom discusses other Issei run businesses in the area.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: farm; farming; Issei; Issei parents; Japanese Americans; Nisei; primary school

Subjects:

Partial Transcript: There was a well-known Chinese restaurant that locals and farmers would eat. Tom recalls his family and family friends dining there weekly. Growing up, Tom remembers his mother corresponding with her relatives and Tom's father's relatives in Japan frequently.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: correspondence; family; farm; Issei; Issei parents; Japanese Americans; social activities

Subjects:

Partial Transcript: After grammar school and high school, Tom attended Kaiji Gakuin Japanese language school. Tom took his studies very seriously. At Japanese language school, he learned about Japanese history and customs. Tom visited Japan after graduating college. Before the war, Tom's parents wanted to visit Japan but did not go.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: high school; Issei parents; Japanese Americans; Nisei; primary school; travel

Subjects:

Partial Transcript: Tom's mother emphasized that he learned all types of history. At home, the primary language was Japanese. Tom's friends were other Nisei in the neighborhood and Hawaii.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: friendship; Hawaii; Issei parents; Japanese Americans; Nisei

Subjects:

Partial Transcript: Tom's mother wanted Tom to focus on his studies rather than house chores. However, when Tom was in high school, the family moved to Boyle Heights. Tom helped with chores once a week, and he learned how to drive. Tom spent most of his time going to English school and Japanese language school. The only organization he participated in was a sports club. The demographic of Boyle Heights was Hispanic and a few Japanese American families.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: education; high school; homemaking; Issei; Japanese Americans; Japanese language school; Nisei; sports; youth organizations

Subjects:

Partial Transcript: At the sports club, Tom played football and baseball. He recalls playing tennis with his friend on the weekends when he was in high school. Once in a while, another activity Tom enjoyed was watching movies. Tom graduated high school in 1933. Living in the United States, Tom was not aware of current affairs until he moved to Japan.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: childhood activities; Japanese Americans; Nisei; sports; youth organizations

Subjects:

Partial Transcript: Tom and George Aratani are childhood friends, and their parents are friends too. Tom recalls George's mother inviting him to their home. Tom learned how to ride a bicycle and saw a furo.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: friendship; Issei parents; Japanese Americans; Nisei

Subjects:

Partial Transcript: Tom's mother has always encouraged Tom to focus on studying and go to college. At a young age, Tom already knew what his career would be. Tom was interested in being an architect and tried to take elective courses in architecture and engineering. However, his teacher suggested business. Before Tom graduated high school, he decided to go to college for engineering.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: education; higher education; Issei parents; Japanese Americans; Nisei

Subjects:

Partial Transcript: Tom's mother instilled in him the importance of higher education. Tom took elective classes focusing on engineering, mathematics, and other subjects related to his career field. Tom says there were not many students taking the same courses as him. He recalls one teacher who knew about the Nisei and encouraged them to do well.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: education; higher education; Japanese Americans; Nisei

Subjects:

Partial Transcript: Tom took chemistry his third year of school, and the teacher recommended him to go to Cal Tech. However, Tom was thinking of going to a local college. Later Tom received a notice to take an examination at Cal Tech. His mother insisted that he take the exam.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: education; higher education; Issei parents; Japanese Americans; Nisei

Subjects:

Partial Transcript: Tom passed the Cal Tech exam. However, his English was poor. Tom attended Cal Tech for two years. Later, Tom took elective courses at UC Extension Course for six months. He applied for Berkeley and UCLA and was accepted to both schools. He graduated from Berkeley in two years with a major in mechanical engineering.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: higher education; Japanese Americans; Nisei

Subjects:

Partial Transcript: After graduating from Berkeley on May 25, 1940, Tom's mother sets up an interview for him at Mitsubishi Trading Company of Los Angeles. This job is nothing what Tom had in mind.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: Issei parents; Japanese Americans; Nisei

Subjects:

Partial Transcript: Tom explains why his mother arranged the Mitsubishi Trading Company interview. Tom recalls his senior year at Berkeley, working on an experiment collecting data and writing reports. Tom focused on structural engineering for airplanes but was discouraged by two of his classmates. They told him he would not have an opportunity due to his ethnicity.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: higher education; Issei parents; Japanese Americans; Nisei

Subjects:

Partial Transcript: Tom discusses being discouraged and not applying at Lockheed Aircraft. Tom explained why he was interested in the design of Lockheed's aircraft.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: Japanese Americans; Nisei

Subjects:

Partial Transcript: At Berkeley, Tom does not know any Nisei taking engineering classes. Tom says there was no future for Nisei in the engineering field. In Tom's situation, it was different because he had his mother supporting his dream and higher education. Tom's mother always emphasized studying even more so with learning history. Tom's mother encourages him to go to Tokyo for the Mitsubishi interview. When Tom traveled to Tokyo, George was on the same boat as Tom.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: discrimination; employment; higher education; Japanese Americans; Nisei; travel

Subjects: