Mitsi Nakamizo Fuchigami (Hoop Dreams)
Mitsi (Mitsuko) Nakamizo Fuchigami was born in San Francisco in 1928. Her father worked in the import/export business and the family lived on Buchanan St. until the forced removal. She, her parents and two older sisters were incarcerated in Tanforan, then Topaz, where Mitsi played on the girls’ basketball team. The family left Topaz and resettled in New York in 1944. Mitsi returned to California after marrying, and currently lives in Southern California.
Steve Fujioka (A Teen in Topaz)
Steve Fujioka was born and raised in Lincoln, California. He graduated from high school in Topaz, and joined the U.S. Army. Upon completing his service, he went on to study at Placer College and then UC Berkeley, where he received his bachelor’s degree in architecture. He worked as an architect in Sacramento, designing both public and private buildings throughout central California, including the Placer Buddhist Church. In the 1960s, he and his wife, Marjorie, moved to Berkeley, California, where they raised their two children. In the 1970s, he changed careers to facilities management and went to work for the university, where he was awarded the Berkeley Citation for distinguished achievement in 1991. After retirement, he enjoyed reading, traveling with his wife, helping friends and family remodel their homes, and spending time with his grandchildren. He passed away in 2015.