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Oral history interview with Tatsuro Yada

 Collection
Identifier: SR960

Scope and Contents

This oral history interview with Tatsuro Yada was conducted by Taka Mizote on March 8, 1992. The interview was recorded as part of the Japanese American Oral History Project, which was conducted by the Oregon Historical Society to preserve the stories of Japanese Americans in Oregon.

In this interview, Yada discusses his family background and early life on a farm in Salem, Oregon. He talks about the Japanese community in Salem, his education, and attending Japanese school. He speaks about returning home to take over the family farm after graduating from Willamette University. He discusses his involvement in the Civil Defense Corps before the United States joined World War II; talks about his reaction to the attack on Pearl Harbor; and describes the Japanese-owned businesses in the Salem area. He talks about his incarceration at Tule Lake Relocation Center during World War II. He describes living conditions in the camp, his role as a teacher, and the military service of his siblings. He talks about getting out of the camp less than a year later to work at a hotel in Nebraska, while his parents were incarcerated at the Minidoka War Relocation Center in Idaho. He then talks about returning to the family farm after the government ended incarceration of Japanese Americans in 1945. He discusses his marriage to Masako Onishi, his Christian faith, and the Japanese American community in post-war Salem. He talks about his children, their families, and their careers. He discusses his retirement activities, including farming, as well as his hopes for the future. He closes the interview by discussing serving on the Salem-Keizer School Board.

Dates

  • Creation: 1992 March 8

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society. Use is allowed according to the following statement: Creative Commons - BY-NC-SA, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

Biographical note

Tatsuro Yada was born in Portland, Oregon, in 1916, and he moved to Salem with his family in 1918. He later attended Willamette University. After his graduation in 1939, his father became ill, and Yada took over the family farm. He became the only Japanese American member of the Civil Defense Corps in Oregon. During World War II, he and his family were among the Japanese Americans imprisoned by the U.S. government at the Tule Lake Relocation Center in California. He was in charge of recreation and taught in the school in the camp. After a short time, he was released to work at a hotel in Lincoln, Nebraska. After the government ended its incarceration of Japanese Americans in 1945, he returned to the family farm in Salem. In 1946, he and Masoko Onishi were married; they later had four children. He died in 2003.

Extent

.1 Cubic Feet (2 audiocassettes (1 hr., 33 min., 36 sec.) + transcript (53 pages))

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Oral history interview with Tatsuro Yada conducted by Taka Mizote on March 8, 1992, as part of the Japanese American Oral History Project. Yada was born in Portland, Oregon, and grew up in Salem. After graduating from Willamette University, he took over the family farm. During World War II, he and his family were incarcerated by the U.S. government at the Tule Lake Relocation Center in California. After their release, he returned to farming.

General

Forms part of the Japanese American Oral History Project.

General

Handwritten index (3 pages) is available for in-person use at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Title
Guide to oral history interview with Tatsuro Yada
Status
Completed
Author
Sarah Stroman
Date
2020
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
Finding aid is written in English.

Repository Details

Part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library Repository

Contact:
1200 SW Park Ave.
Portland OR 97205 United States
5033065204
5033065240