by Kimi Hill
Harold Hayashi was 12 years old and a student at Willard Junior High in Berkeley when the forced evacuation on May 1, 1942 sent him and his family to Tanforan. Harold finished junior high in Topaz, and in 9th grade was elected class president at Topaz High School.
After the War the family returned to the family home on Grove Street (owned by his Hawaiian- born mother). Harold completed an architecture degree at the University of California, Berkeley, and had a long career working at architectural firms such as Bourg/Nakamura.
After retirement, Harold met a fellow church member of the Berkeley Methodist Church, Michael Williams, who was a history teacher at Willard. Williams searched the old school file cabinets containing student records, and he found Harold’s manila folder with an excuse note. The note was written on April 27, 1942, by Harold’s older college-aged sister, and signed by his mother. It read:
April 27, 1942
Dear Mr. Hayes,
Because of the recent evacuation orders, we will have to leave Berkeley on May 1; therefore, I would like to have Harold Hayashi, Adv. #205, leave school to help me pack from today.
I would also like to ask for a transfer for Harold so he may enter a school at the camp.
Thank you —
Sincerely,
Mrs. R. Hayashi
About the contributor: Kimi Hill was born in Berkeley, CA in 1955, and is the family historian for her grandfather, Chiura Obata. She received her BA in Visual Design from the University of California. She is the consultant on numerous exhibits of Obata’s art and has lectured for the National Park Service, the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco and the Topaz Museum. She is a founding member of the Friends of Topaz Committee.
Copyright 2017, Kimi Hill. All rights reserved.