I am a fifth generation Japanese-Hawaiian child with not so many connections to my past. I had asked my mother who my family was and to my surprise, she told me about the history of both her side and my father’s side of my family. Like myself, she didn’t have any knowledge ... Read More »
Stan Ng recalls that in his 1960s and 70s Los Angeles childhood, one of the main activities his family enjoyed was to simply get out on the open road and drive. His dad would go up and down the 101, or make his way towards Santa Monica and drive past the Hollywood landmarks ... Read More »
As a young student in Canada, with no real source of stable income, I have come to value the education system as a way to better the conditions of my life. I’ve just received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Alberta, where I have taken classes targeted toward becoming a teacher, as I am a firm believer in educating ... Read More »
“It was like a Hawaii vacation that you would dream of, coming from terrible weather. But it was not a vacation. We were staying.” Growing up in the late 1960s in Edmonton, Alberta, Jay Patrick Kelly Furlong spent winters building campfires, playing ice hockey, riding snowmobiles and shooting cans with rifles in the woods. “We saw extended family much more ... Read More »
Being an American doesn’t mean you’re a citizen, it’s a feeling. It’s faith, believing in your country, supporting it through good and bad, and paying your duty. When you have that, nobody can touch you. I interviewed my mother in order to learn about my grandfather, Hideo Tomoyasu, and his immigration to Hawaii. My grandfather was born in 1920 ... Read More »
Focusing on improving his golf game and visiting family, Jack Jhin lives his life relaxed. At 81, Jack has been through countless tales, both wonderful and terrible experiences. For this story, he recalls his journey to America and his life there as a first-generation immigrant. Growing up in Seoul, South Korea, Jack Jhin was very fortunate. Coming from a family ... Read More »
My cousin arrived with news I no longer wanted to hear about. He told me my visa was approved and that I would be going to Hawaii. I told him I no longer can accept. The house I lived in was built by my Teti (dad). My teti was a sheriff and was very protective over our family. The island ... Read More »
My grandfather’s life started in jeopardy due to his premature birth and small size, which forced him to spend his first two weeks without his family in an incubator. My grandfather, Al Bien, was born in Beijing, China in 1934 where his home was in a “hutong” or alley. Following the beginning of the second Sino-Japanese war, his family moved ... Read More »
Piecing together a family’s story of immigration to the United States can be a challenge for many people. Richard Sherman Gordon’s family tree has roots that reach back hundreds of years in America, but most of their stories have been lost over the generations. What remains are tidbits of family lore, and for Rich’s family, there is also a lovingly ... Read More »