Valley Voice Valley Voices October 2014

Valley Voice
Published by Valley Heights Senior Rental Community
for all our friends and family
October 2014
 Valley Voices 
Name: Faye Hashitani
Age: 94
I was the eldest child born to an immigrant
Japanese family. My parents had four daughters
before having three sons. My father desperately
wanted a son so when David (my first brother) was
born, he decorated the crib so much that we could
hardly see the baby.
In my father’s day, Japanese immigrants were
prohibited from owning property. My father worked
as a farmer on agriculture fields all through the San
Luis Obispo area.
Our home was furnished with the barest essentials.
We had no electricity so we used kerosene lamps
for lights in each room. Water came from a well
that was pumped into a large water tank by windmill power. We used an outhouse since there was
no indoor toilet, where lime was used to control
the odor. Our outdoor bath house was also not too
far away in a wooden shed. We did have a crank
telephone in our home that was placed high on the
wall where the children needed to stand on a box
to reach the mouthpiece to talk.
Our mother would carry the youngest child on
her back until they were able to walk. She did her
daily chores this way. One of her chores was
washing clothes by hand in our bath house on a
wash board with bar soap.
Our summer job was harvesting fallen walnuts,
shelling them, and filling gunny sacks with them
for sale. My fingers got stained by this work and
I tried to hide my hands when school began each
August. The school we attended taught 1st through
8th grades. We also attended Japanese Language
School on Saturdays from 8 am – 5pm.
I graduated San Luis Obispo High in 1938. My
parents arranged for me to marry a local farmer
whom I did not know. I objected and said I wanted
to attend college. Since my parents could not afford
to send me, I got a school girl job for a dentist and
his family. The arrangement was babysitting and
housework in exchange for my room and board.
After receiving my AA in accounting from San
Luis Obispo Junior College in 1940 I went on to
Armstrong College in Berkeley to become a
secretary. I also worked as a school girl to earn
room, board, and some transportation money.
I took the Civil Service exam when I was 20. I
was hired as an administrative secretary at Camp
Roberts. Six days later war was declared. I had
visited my family over that weekend, but late that
evening I returned to Camp Roberts on a Greyhound
bus. When I went into the office on Monday,
December 8, I was greeted by stares. They made
me feel as though I was responsible for the war. I
worked there for three months as the war raged on.
In March 1942, I was served a letter from the
commanding officer of Camp Roberts stating I was
to leave the premises immediately. The US Army
terminated my job “for the safety of the military
and civilians on site.” It was a shocking and painful
experience. My boss was kind enough to allow a
driver to escort me to pick up my belongings and
drive me to Arroyo Grande to be with my parents.
A month later the evacuation order came.
My father sold everything he had for whatever
price someone would buy it for. We were allowed
to take only things we could carry since we were
transported by bus. We were sent for two months
to a temporary camp in Tulare, until the permanent
internment camp at Gila River, Arizona was
completed.
Acres of desert land covered the camp, which
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was surrounded by a wire fence and guards standing
in towers with guns. Our family of 9 took residency
in barracks that were meant for no greater than four
people. Life in camp was full of sacrifices.
I took a job as secretary for $12 a month at the
camp, then a position as a camouflage weaver that
paid $10 per day. I had a severe allergic reaction to
dye, so I left the lucrative position.
As I got well from the allergic reaction, news came
that those who wanted to leave camp could, but only
to the eastern part of the US. My father did not want
me to leave with a friend to Chicago because he
throught Japan was going to win the war, but I used
my persuasive skills and in the late fall of 1943 I was
on the train heading east.
After much discrimination traveling to Chicago
and to find housing, I found a room to share
with three other girls in a college dormitory. In
the workforce, I was also discriminated against
because of my heritage. I took a civil service job
with the US Army’s specialized training program
at the University of Chicago.
A few years passed and family began joining me
in Chicago. Finding housing became easier as time
went on, too, since the discrimination became less
intense.
A year after the war ended I took another civil
service test. I passed and was sent to Japan. I was
the only female at Sugamo Prison, and I worked as
a secretary to the commanding officer. This was the
prison that Tokyo Rose was incarcerated.
My roommate there introduced me to a male
friend she had known in Washington, D.C. We
soon became friends and he had me transferred to
General MacArthur’s headquarters in downtown
Tokyo. The office faced the Emperor’s palace moat
and had a beautiful view. My male friend, Raymond
Hashitani, proposed in 1947 and we were married on
April 10, 1948 in Tokyo. Our reception was held at
the residence of Prince Takamatsu.
Our daughter, Carol, arrived in March 1951. The
only bill for the birth was for the food during our
eight day stay in the hospital. All else was covered, as
was our home and a maid, courtesy of the US Army.
We returned state side when Ray returned to
his work as an economist. Our second daughter,
Joanne, was born in August 1953, when we lived
in Washington, DC. My career became caring for
our daughters while Ray earned a wage.
In 1955 Ray’s office had a work force reduction,
so we moved to his family farm in Ontario, Oregon.
Two months later Ray was killed in an auto accident.
Since Carol was 4 and Joanne was 2, we relocated to
Watsonville to live with my mother. That same year
my father had died.
Two years later I enrolled my girls at nursery school
and took a part time job with Dr. Katsumi Takemoto,
general practitioner, as his receptionist. I worked for
his group from then until 1985, when I retired to do
volunteer work.
I have traveled extensively- Australia, Africa, New
Zealand, China, Japan, Ireland, Great Britain, France,
Rio de Janeiro, Peru, Brazil, Argentina, Machu
Picchu, Canada, Alaska, Italy, Mexico, and most of
the United States. If I could find someone to join me,
I would love to continue to travel.
My daughter, Joanne, graduated from UC Berkeley
with a BA, received her Master of Fine Arts at Mills
College. My daughter, Carol, was working on her Ph. D.
in Sociology when she took a summer vacation to the
east coast and was killed in an automobile accident
in 1980.
In my retirement, I volunteered at Ann Soldo School
teaching third graders to read, and at the Mello
Performing Arts Center. I have lived at Valley Heights
for some time and have enjoyed getting to know people
whom I have met.
“Gold medals aren’t
really made of gold.
They ’re made of sweat,
determination, and
a hard-to-find alloy
called guts.”
-Dan Gable
HAPPY BIRTHDAY WISHES TO:
VIRGINIA KOTECK I
OCTOBER
M A R Y PO R T I L L O
OCTOBER
EARL HASSLER
OCTOBER
E M I L Y TA K E M O T O
OCTOBER
TE R E S A R O B E R T S O N
OCTOBER
06
08
10
16
17
Valley Heights would like to welcome
our newest residents:
Janet & Earl Hessler
“If you recognize the things in life
That make your life worthwhile
And you think about them everyday
You’ll have joy and always smile.”
- Ray Gardner
October Highlights
Everyone is welcome to attend our events.
Please call 722-4884 for times and details.
10/1
Lunch at Golden China
10/3
Food Committee
Social Hour with Richard Stauff
10/17 Social Hour with Juan Montero
10/4
Food, Fun & BINGO!
10/20 Casino Night
10/6
Casino Night
10/21 Social Hour with Chris Ring
10/7
Social Hour with Next Step (Senior Performance
Group)
10/24 Men’s Lunch
Social Hour with David Field
10/8
Welcome Lunch
10/28 Social Hour with Danceland
10/15 MVC Middle School Choir Performs
Resident Council Meeting
10/10 Social Hour with Liz Fisher
10/29 Ladies Luncheon
10/14 Podiatrist Visits (Dr. Hyland)
Social Hour with Young at Heart
10/31 Halloween Costume Parade and
Contest at Social Hour
Casino Night is held on the first and third Monday
of each month. Join the Valley Heights dealer for
some fun games of BlackJack during our Casino
Night on Monday, October 6, and Monday, October 20,
at 7:30 PM! Sign ups will be available in the binder
at the front desk.
MVC Middle School Choir
Wednesday, October 15 at 9:30 AM
Valley Heights Living Room
Gayleen Myers is bringing the Monte Vista
Christian Middle School Choir to perform on
Wednesday, October 15 at 9:30 AM in the Living
Room. Join us for a morning dose of music and
fun. Invite your neighbors and friends!
HALLOWEEN CELEBRATIONS
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31
Our annual Costume Contest will take
place on Friday, October 31 at Social
Hour (3:30 PM) in the Living Room. Come
see some spooktacular costumes that
showcase frightening Halloween Spirit.
Following the contest enjoy a spooktacular
dinner in our festive Valley Heights Dining
Room. Don’t miss out on the treats!