“…when the taxi arrived…to take the students into San Francisco for the three-hour exam period, only Min rode out of camp.”
My father, Min Tamaki, was in his last year of Pharmacy School at the University of California when Executive Order 9066 was issued, forcing him to leave school before taking his final exams. He and his family were imprisoned in Tanforan in May 1942.
That summer, when informed that he and five other pharmacy students would be permitted to leave Tanforan in order to take the exam, Min thought, “Leave Tanforan? Hell, yes!!” and told the camp administrator, “Yes! I’ll take the examination.” He figured he had nothing to lose, and the chance to be free again for three days was too good to pass up.
The other five students worried they wouldn’t pass the exam and each replied, “No, I’m not prepared.”
So when the taxi arrived on the first of three days to take the students into San Francisco for the three-hour exam period, only Min rode out of camp.
When the taxi arrived at the exam site, Min told the cabbie, “Wait for me. Don’t leave. I’ll only be an hour.” True to his word, Min left the exam after one hour.
“Take me to Chinatown,” he told the cabbie. Min got out of the taxi and went inside a restaurant to buy chow mein to bring back to his family.
Ann — enjoyed reading this article. Your dad had “guts & glory.” Good for him and glad that he rec’d his diploma. Loved it when he told taxi driver to wait for him, especially when he went to pick up some chow men. Got a good laugh out of that one. But bless his heart that he was thinking of his parents, etc. And what a treat they had for their meal that day.
My regards to Don. — Jack/Jun Dairiki