June 4, 2008
I just finished my third and final Salt Lake City interview with Grace Oshita. Grace has been telling her life story in schools all around the city for the past 40 years. Born and raised in San Francisco, Grace’s family owned and operated a successful miso factory called the Fujimoto Company. Her father, Eddie, was arrested by the FBI in February 1942, which left her step-mother to close the business and put their affairs in order before mass removal. Grace, her step-mother and grandmother were incarcerated in Tanforan Assembly Center in California and then Topaz in Utah. Grace and her family relocated to Salt Lake City, where her father resumed his miso business. The interview went very well and her story will be an invaluable contribution to our archive! In other news, Grace took Dana, Rick Okabe and I to lunch in the hotel. Towards the end of our meal, we ran into Dr. Jun Kurumada, who was on his way to be interviewed by Tom. He is in amazing shape, and definitely the sharpest and most spry 94 year old I have ever met!