Fred Yonemoto, my father, was born in Colma, California and considered himself an American. He was of Japanese descent and liked eating food like sushi, something the average "American" hadn't heard of in 1941. But he believed he was an American - a patriotic American. However in a few short months after holding this benefit for the USO, he and his family were considered otherwise. Their world was turned upside down. But for a moment, let's look at two happy days in September of 1941 through photos and words.
On a fall week-end in 1941, the Yonemoto Nursery held a flower show, both to celebrate the nursery's 30th anniversary and to help with the war effort. The entire proceeds from the sale of the cut carnations would be donated to the local chapter of the USO. The event was widely publicized and reported on by local papers. The San Jose paper titled the article Young Japanese Expresses Patriotism with Flowers and quoted my father, Fred. From the photos found among my father's papers, the event seemed to have been a huge success, with cars lining Murphy Avenue in front of the nursery and people looking at the flowers and enjoying refreshments, soft drinks and fortune cookies at picnic tables.
On a very personal note, below are 3 family photographs. Unfortunately, there are no photographs of my father, Fred, at this event. An avid photographer, he may have taken the photographs.
My mother, Yukiko (with the long pearls) and her two sisters, Yoshiko (in a dark jacket), and Etsuko, to Yoshiko's left.
The Udo sisters, Yukiko, Yoshiko, and Etsuko.
My uncle, Jiichiro, and two of his children, Noboru and Kiiko.
The uSO benefit was covered by local newspapers
Berkeley Daily Gazette - Sept. 8, 1941
Yonemoto Nursery Sales to Aid USO
The T. Yonemoto Nursery at 271 North Murphy St., Sunnyvale, will hold a carnation show in commemoration of the 30th year of the founding of the nursery, on Saturday and Sunday. Cut flowers freshly picked from the field will be sold during the "open house" and the entire proceeds will be turned over to the USO. Booths managed by representatives from the USO will take charge of the sales. Invitations have been extended to the customers and friends of the Nursery and to all flower lovers in Northern California.
Today was set aside for a press preview when invitations were sent to the members of the press and their families. The Yonemoto Nursery specializes in carnations.
San Jose News - Sept. 6, 1941
Young Japanese Expresses Patriotism with Flowers
Sunnyvale, Sept. 6. - Fred Yonemoto, young Sunnyvale florist, has evolved a patriotic way of celebrating his firm's thirtieth anniversary. He will stage a flower show September 13 and 14 at the Yonemoto Nursery, 271 North Murphy Avenue, proceeds to go to the USO and the Red Cross. The show is to be free, but flowers will be sold. Because he expects his quarter-million carnation plants to be in full bloom the thirteenth, Yonemoto's flower show will specialize in carnations. In addition to the large fields of blooming plants there will be special floral arrangement in his shop consisting entirely of carnations. The flower show itself is free to the public. Yonemoto is donating all the cut flowers that will be sold by a corps of Sunnyvale girls provided by the USO. Entire proceeds from the sale of cut flowers will go to the USO. Hours for the show will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Associated with Fred Yonemoto in the nursery are his older brother, Jiichiro, and his father, Tsunegusu. Fred, who is 28, attended San Jose State College in 1932 and 1933.