Yae Wada was a young mother in Topaz in 1943. I met her in 2018, when we met for tea and she told me some of the stories from her amazing life.
One of those stories was about the high school seniors who missed their graduations in 1942 because they were in Tanforan. Diplomas were in many cases mailed to horse stalls; some high schools sent representatives to hand graduates their diplomas in the racetrack’s grandstand. A depressing affair it was–at least, until a contingent from San Mateo High school showed up to play “Pomp and Circumstance.” The band teacher, Eugene Brose, accompanied by the school principal and members of the PTA, brought music, flowers and cupcakes to the affair–an act of kindness that is still remembered 80 years later.
Pages: 1 2