Discover Nikkei

https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/interviews/clips/1623/

Able to settle easily in Los Gatos with foresight and luck

He (my father) knew that we were American citizens and so we were going to come back. He had his automobile stored, he had a lot of the personal possessions stored at the post office. And so therefore when he was released, he and my mother went to Salinas, picked up our cars…and so when he drove we located a place to live, it was pretty easy for him. He had money to buy property.

The story of relocating in Los Gatos was the fact that… he was going to buy a home in San Jose. Not being able to locate what…he was on his way from San Jose to Los Gatos, because my sister knew of Los Gatos. While he was going to Los Gatos, he saw this “For Sale” sign. He figured there was no harm in stopping, so he drove in to this farm house and the first thing he saw was this Italian farmer, Victor Geanandreo. When Mr. Victor Geanandreo saw my father, he immediately took him down the basement, and down in the basement he had this great big picture of Benito Mussolini. So he knew he was in friendly hands. They had a drink downstairs and that’s how he got the farm in Los Gatos.

Victor Geanandreo who could speak very little English. So that’s how we ended up in Los Gatos. Victor Geanandreo had a nephew who died. He built the house and was expecting to have his nephew…but he died, he was very heartbroken and he was very glad to be able to sell the farm to my father. So we both lived together for a while until Victor Geanandreo the family could find another relocation. That’s how we settled in Los Gatos and invited the rest of the people who didn’t have homes. We fixed up the barn so people could live there.


California Los Gatos postwar resettlements United States World War II

Date: March 22, 2018

Location: California, US

Interviewer: John Esaki

Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum

Interviewee Bio

Tom Yuki was born on June 29, 1935, in Salinas, California. His father belonged to a farming partnership before World War II and was able to continue the business while incarcerated at Poston, Arizona, with the help of his business partner via telephone and telegram. After returning from Poston, the family moved to Los Gatos, California, and continued with their business. Tom went to the University of Santa Clara and joined the military, assigned to France as a Quartermaster officer. He was working as a contract administrator in a corporation when his father died, leaving Tom to take over the business as managing partner of Yuki Farms. Tom has served as board member to many organizations including his current role for the Japanese American National Museum. (December 2018)

Bain,Peggie Nishimura

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(b.1909) Nisei from Washington. Incarcerated at Tule Lake and Minidoka during WWII. Resettled in Chicago after WWII

Bain,Peggie Nishimura

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Houston,Jeanne Wakatsuki

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Janzen,Terry

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Janzen,Terry

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Schneider,Jean Hamako

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Ito,Susumu “Sus”

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Hoshiyama,Fred Y.

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Fischer,Takayo

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