Page 7 - Dinuba Sentinel 1-11-18 E-edition

The Dinuba Sentinel
Community
Thursday, January 11, 2018 | A7 Awards Continued from Page A1
Aiko Takeda will turn 90 on March 21.
Tragedy Continued from Page A1
Keven J. Geaney | The Sentinel
master's degree and got a job as a reading resource teacher at Jefferson Elementary School in Dinuba. She worked there nine years before retiring.
“Being a resource teacher was a very satisfying job,” Aiko said. “I was able to help students, who came to America, with their reading.”
Over 20 years ago Aiko retired from teaching and
10 years ago she started volunteering her time making centerpieces and boutique items for Open Gate events, like the annual Soup, Salad and Pie Luncheon on Feb. 7.
“Barbara Young asked me if I could help decorate for events and I thought it would be fun,” Aiko said.
Nearly eight years ago Aiko started working once a week
at Open Gate, making the boutique items for the store and events. She will be 90 on March 21 and doesn’t have any plans to stop working.
“I’m going to work as long as I can,” Aiko said. “At least a few more years.”
Aiko also volunteers at her church,PalmUnitedMethodist.
District Doings
• The eighth annual Dinuba Woman’s Club “Hearts & Roses” Luncheon and Fashion Show to benefit student scholarships will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 24, at the Dinuba Memorial Building.
Vendors will provide pre- event shopping beginning at 10 a.m., as well as shopping during the event. You can shop for a variety of items including clothing, jewelry, make-up, purses, candles, and more.
Luncheon and Fashion Show ticket price is $25, which includes the opportunity to win door prizes. A Grand Prize drawing for a ‘Sweetheart Trip to Remember” will also be held.
For information and tickets, call Linda Conklin at 280-6098.
• The Dinuba Historic Preservation Commission selected their chair and vice chair recently. Jesus Pelayo, an architect, will serve his second one-year term as chair. Maribel Sorenson, a local business owner, will serve her first term as vice chair. The commission meets bimonthly and will have its next meeting on March 12 at 8:30 a.m. at the Dinuba City Hall chambers.
The commission currently has a display highlighting historic Dinuba events, featured at the Dinuba Branch Library.
Teacher: Carlos Barajas Grade: Freshman
Lucina Jarquin
Lucina Jarquin works at a high level and is a dedicated student who utilizes her time extremely well. She helps her classmates beyond regular classwork and cares deeply for her peers.
Department: Math Teacher: Terry Bese Grade: Senior
Mikenna Curtis
Mikenna Curtis has shown great maturity and responsibility throughout the school year. She continually shows a desire for learning and is always willing to help her peers.
Department: English Teacher: Elmer Guzman Grade: Frehman
Miranda Garcia
Miranda Garcia approaches school work with excitement and enthusiasm. She has a hard-working mentality and a kind heart always willing to help others. Great student and person.
Department: English Teacher: Andres Gonzalez Grade: Sophomore
Nelson Aponte
Nelson Aponte has a super star status written all over him.
He is always prepared, helpful, motivating, and has the best attitude in the world. Keep up the good work Nelson. Coach B.
Department: Physical Ed. Teacher: Carlos Barajas Grade: Frehman
Monique Montes
Monique Montes continually shows excellent leadership skills, is trustworthy, and inspires all around her to excel to do their best. Most of all, she is always dependable.
Department: Fine Arts Teacher: Teresa Hylton Grade: Sophomore
So a Ramirez
Sofia Ramirez goes above and beyond to help others. She understands how to solve problems and recognizes that having a solution is always best, especially when working with groups.
Department: Home Economics
Teacher: Nikki Gerner Grade: Senior
Natalia Blas
I am very pleased to have Natalia Blas as a student because of her great work ethic. She has the most beautiful handwriting and creativity that I have ever seen in all my years teaching!
Department: Social Science Teacher: Brittany Sumpter Grade: Senior
during the winter. They ended up stuffing the holes with paper.
Aiko said that Anglos from back east were brought in to teach to the students. One of Aiko’s brothers, Haruo, who attended UC Davis before the war, became her high school principal. Aiko and one of
her sisters, Shizu, were at the camp for one and a half years before Haruo took both of them to Wheaton, Illinois. Haruo attended Wheaton College and his sisters attended Wheaton High School.
“My brother knew that I wasn't getting much of an education in the camp so he was able to take us [Aiko and Shizu] with him to Wheaton,” Aiko said.
Aiko’s father could have gone with them, but decided to stay at the camp because he was closer to one of his daughters, Haru, who was dying of TB. Aiko said that a year after graduating from the University of San Francisco and becoming a nurse she was inflicted
with TB and was sent to a sanatorium.
“It was hard leaving my dad all alone, but it was even harder knowing my sister was dying all alone,” Aiko said as she fought back tears with the memory of her sister. “Luckily my dad was able to see her before she died.”
Aiko attended Wheaton High her sophomore year and ended up graduating from the school in June of 1946.
“I was treated like everyone else in Wheaton, despite being the only oriental in the school,” Aiko said.
While living in Wheaton, Aiko’s brother and his wife moved to Ithaca, New York
so he could attend Cornell University. Aiko and her sister ended up renting a room from a family. To help pay for the room Aiko worked as a housekeeper for a family on the weekends during the school year and all the time during the summer.
“They were the nicest family,” Aiko said. “They would take me with them on family vacations. They treated me like one of the family.”
In August of 1946, Aiko and Shizu met up with Haruo in Ithaca. The three of them and her brother’s wife drove all
the way back to Orosi, where their dad was waiting for them. But Japanese-Americans were treated even worse after the war.
“We witnessed a lot more hatred upon coming back,” Aiko said. “Some people shot into homes and businesses of Japanese-Americans. We lived in the country so we were never shot at.”
After a year the hatred stopped and life started to get back to normal.
Once she arrived back in Orosi Aiko took classes at Reedley College and later attended the University of Southern California [USC].
She obtained her bachelor’s
and teaching degrees and
then moved back to Orosi and got a job at Monson-Sultana School. She taught kindergarten through second grade for 13 years.
WhileworkingatMonson- Sultana Aiko obtained her
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