NikkeiWest--Northern California Japanese American Newspaper

By Clifford Hayashi—Masako Hayashida [nee Watanabe] was required to take English Literature as part of the California High School Curriculum. Although it was not required, she played volleyball after American school and before attending Japanese school. Katherine “Kay” Tift [nee Fischer] taught English Literature and volunteered to coach volleyball after school in spite of the fact and perhaps because she did not possess a PE credential. Neither recalls if their paths crossed at Tri-State High School at the Tule Lake Relocation/Segregation Centers.

In November 1919, Katherine, the second daughter of Ernest and Harriet [nee Robinson] Fischer, was born in the southern California town of Upland. Ernest, a high school principal, was born in Wheaton, Illinois and Harriet, a high school teacher, was born in Gray’s Lake, Wisconsin.

The Fischers had five children. Julia, born in 1917 is now deceased.

Katherine’s three other siblings survive. Ernest Fischer Jr., who was born in 1921, was given the honor of his father’s name. Margaret and David, born in 1926 and 1929, respectively, fared less well.

Ernest Sr.’s mother was Julia Blanchard, daughter of Charles Blanchard (1848-1925) and granddaughter of Jonathan Blanchard (1811-1892). Jonathan Blanchard was the first President of Wheaton College (Illinois) and ran for U.S. President in 1884 under the Anti-Masonic Party. Charles served as Wheaton’s second president.

In July 1927, Masako, the second daughter of Masao and Chiyozuru [nee Honda] Watanabe, was born in the northern California town of Sacramento. Masao and Chiyozuru were proprietors of a boarding house on “M” [now Capitol] Street in Sacramento. Masako’s parents immigrated to America from Japan’s Kumamoto–ken where the Watanabe family were and still are prosperous tea farmers.

Prior to Masako, the Watanabes had four children. The honor of their father’s name was bestowed on all three sons, Masaharu, Masaaki “Terry” and Masatoshi “Mac” who were born in 1918, 1921 and 1923, respectively. The second child, Harumi, had passed away just prior to Masako’s birth. Thinking this was an omen, the Watanabe parents decided to also bestow “Mas” upon their newly born daughter. Their last child, Masayoshi “Robert”, was born in 1929. All the children attended Lincoln School in Sacramento. The entire family save Masako has passed away.

“Kay” met her future husband, Floyd Tift, in sophomore English class at Chaffey High School, where her father was the principal. There are two versions of how their first date evolved. Both were on the committee to help pair couples for the junior prom. Kay says neither had a date when it came time for the most romantic event of their junior so they decided to attend together. Floyd tells it a little differently, stating Kay’s father threatened to flunk him if he didn’t ask her to the prom. However, Ernest Sr. was mortified when he heard Floyd’s version.

Following high school graduation, Kay and Floyd attended Chaffey Community College. In 1939 Kay matriculated at UC Berkeley and earned a teaching credential in 1941, heeding her father’s words, “Become a nurse or teacher in case your husband dies!”

Kay wanted to teach Physical Education but that required her to complete chemistry; and chemistry, in turn, had a mathematics prerequisite for which she had no aptitude.

Floyd went to USC and graduated with a double major in History and Economics in 1941. While completing one year of graduate school, Floyd practiced teaching at a local high school. He recalls the student body president was Japanese and the entire school community was in tears when internment occurred.

In 1942, Masako met her future husband, Hitoshi Hayashida, while incarcerated at the Tule Lake Relocation Center. Both families lived in Block 38, Barracks 14, with Masako’s family in Rooms A&B while Hitoshi’s family was their next-door neighbors in Room D

The Hayashidas were from Isleton, California, which resided in “military areas … from which any or all persons may be excluded” so after the signing of Executive Order 9066 on February 19th 1942 and Executive Order 9102 on March 18th 1942 by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, they were sent to the Walerga Assembly Center near Sacramento as were the Watanabes. In a continuation of the exclusion process, both families entrained to Newell in northern California with the Watanabes departing on June 19, 1942.

Hitoshi graduated from his high school as its valedictorian. He had aspirations of attending college, but when his father had a stroke on the day of his graduation, his dreams were curtailed to head the family. He vowed that no matter what the cost, his children would go to college.

Soon after Floyd wed Kay in October 1942, he announced that he had enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Kay’s response was, “If you are going to kill Japanese, I am going to teach them”.

In May 1943, Floyd sailed to the South Pacific where he was stationed at the sites of many famous battles, but never saw combat and therefore never had to kill a Japanese soldier or even discharge a weapon.

On July 1st 1943, Kay scored her first job; she was hired to teach at the new Tri-State High School in the Tule Lake Relocation Center. Had Kay been even part Japanese, she would have been incarcerated at the Colorado River Relocation Center at Poston.

Kay recalls sharing a mobile home with another teacher and her husband outside the barbed wire fence. She had her own bedroom. Masako relates that her family lived in a tar paper-covered barracks inside the prison. The four boys shared a single room while Masako lived with her parents in another.

Masako had to walk a mile to school in the scorching sun or freezing snow. Kay walked a block from the civilian quarters to teach history, English Literature and Business English which consisted of typing and stenography. Sandwiched between American school and Japanese school, Masako enjoyed playing softball and volleyball.

In January 1945, Kay transferred to Manzanar to help its internees “relocate.” In May, she rejoined Floyd in Berkeley where he was utilizing his G.I. Bill benefits. One night, Kay invited three students from Tule Lake over for dinner. As Kay discovered later, the three students were unaware that the invitation was for dinner, so the three ate before they arrived. Out of politeness, they ate again.

Kay and Floyd have three children, Bruce, Barbara and David, in order of birth. Kay’s two oldest children are psychologists. Bruce is a Buddhist. David taught pre-school and also operated a dojo in Oregon after receiving his black belt in aikido. Kay says the Japanese flavor in their lives is just coincidental. David took up aikido because he was always picked on being the youngest child.

Masako graduated from Tri-State High School on May 4th 1945. Following camp, she moved backed to Sacramento with her family. While her parents stayed at the Buddhist church, she worked as a schoolgirl.

When her parents got an apartment, she started to work for the State of California. A year later, she married Hitoshi and moved to Isleton. They first conceived three daughters, Patricia, Susan, and Janice, followed by Craig, their only son.

Hitoshi and Craig enjoyed tinkering with gadgets together. Craig was so inspired that when he graduated from high school at the age of 15, he applied to Cal Tech. He was turned down because he was too young.

Instead, Craig went to UCLA. On one fateful night, he was involved in an accident that demolished his car. He went to sleep with a headache and passed away as a result of an aneurism.

Masako’s heart was broken in more than one way. She had to undergo quadruple by-pass surgery. One Sunday as she was recovering, her husband felt ill. He called his doctor, who suggested that he come in for a checkup. As Masako was driving Hitoshi to his appointment, he passed away, just five days after his 86th birthday.

All three of Masako’s daughters received their teaching credentials. Janice, the youngest received hers from UCLA but never used it. Instead she married and moved to Europe with her husband. Masako enjoyed this relationship because it allowed her to travel extensively in Europe. Unfortunately, the happy couple returned to the states.

Susan, the middle daughter matriculated at Cal State Dominguez Hills. She teaches ESL; she speaks fluent Spanish but no Japanese.

The oldest daughter, Patricia, also received her degree from UCLA. She teaches kindergarten. While growing up, Patricia’s daughter played with coyotes that she called “doggies.” She would feed them dog biscuits and so impressed the coyote mother that she brought her pups to partake in the free treats. Of course, Masako’s granddaughter became a vet.

All of Masako’s grandchildren are hapa. Her grandson, Mathew, via Janice was recruited from Boston University to teach English and German to children in Japan. He learned his Japanese in college.

Currently, both Kay and Masako reside in retirement homes in San Luis Obispo, a college town. Kay invited Masako, the author, and the author’s mother, Effie [nee Fukuda] Hayashi to lunch at her community dining room. Masako and Effie had gone to Lincoln School in Sacramento and were fellow graduates at Tri-State High School in Tule Lake, but have not seen each other in 65 years.

Following lunch, the quintuple which included Kay’s husband, Floyd, journeyed to Eto Park. Masako and Kay reflected on Tule Lake.

On a plaque in Eto Park is etched the following quote attributed to Reverend Tetsuo Unno: “We all lose people we love and it hurts, but the conversations we had with them become more profound in their absence...”. This applies to Masako in her recollections of her mother, her father, her brothers, her husband and son.

Perhaps in some far-off time, Masako or Kay will remember their conversation at Eto Park, in lieu of the ones they may have neglected to remember from Tule Lake.