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Oral History Interview with Fred Ouye
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Title
Oral History Interview with Fred Ouye
Created Date
February 6th, 1995
July 7th, 1995
July 7th, 1995
Description
Nisei male, born on March 4, 1911 in Florin, California to a farm family. The family moved to Lodi, California where Fred attended local schools. He earned a degree in pharmacy at the University of California, San Francisco in 1933. From 1933 to 1942 he and his brother worked as pharmacists in their own pharmacy, but Fred�s career was to be disrupted twice by government intervention. The first time was in 1942, when Fred was twenty-one, when he, his wife and daughter were evacuated under Executive Order 9066. They moved from Lodi to Sacramento to join the larger Ouye family so that the entire family would not be separated. They were able to go to the same internment camps: first Walerga Assembly Center, then Tule Lake, California. In 1945 Fred, his wife and child moved to Kansas City, Missouri where he worked for the George A. Breon Pharmaceutical Company. Mr. Breon hired Fred even though Breon�s son was fighting in the Aleutian Islands: �You don�t look like an enemy to me.� Fred was able to buy a duplex despite racial prejudice of neighbors due to Quakers who befriended the Ouyes. After two and a half years in Kansas City, Fred and his family returned to Sacramento where he and his brother Harold opened a pharmacy in downtown Sacramento. The second government intervention occurred due to Sacramento�s redevelopment project, which included the Ouye pharmacy business. They had to relocate the pharmacy and constructed a multiple purpose building with the pharmacy as the main tenant. The brothers retired after twenty years and sold the business and property to Harold�s son. Fred�s daughter and grandchildren are in the health and law professions. His success story is due to his personal and professional abilities. These qualities were augmented by friendly bankers who helped finance his education, relocate his store and construct a new building.
Creators and Contributors
Media Type
Format
Audio cassette
Extent
1
Tape
Generation
Master
Copyright Statement
Copyrighted. Rights are owned by Japanese American Citizens League, Florin Chapter and California State University, Sacramento. Copyright Holder has given Organization permission to provide access to the digitized work online. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owner. In addition, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
Country of Creation
United States
Contributing Organization
Call Number
TC430
Contributing Organization Contact Information
Email: lib-scua@saclink.csus.edu
Phone: (916) 278-5240
Phone: (916) 278-5240
Organization Websites
Link to Internet Archive
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Is Related To
Oral history interview with Fred Ouye