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| Alice Hayashi |
Alice Sakaye Yamaoka was born in Fresno, California on October 7, 1922, the third of seven children born to Jitaro and Fujie (Yamada) Yamaoka, immigrant farm laborers. The children were orphaned and at age 12, Alice and two sisters (Flora and May), were sent to live with relatives in Japan. They were separated from the rest of their siblings. While living in Japan as a teenager, Alice worked in the fields and took care of an invalid relative. At the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War, Alice and her sisters left Japan and arrived in Hawaii in November 1937.
In 1942, the Alice and her two sisters were sent back to Fresno where Alice was reunited with her siblings. Alice, Don, Haruko, Yoshiko, Flora and May Yamaoka were evacuated from Sanger, California and sent to the Poston, Arizona internment camp block 227-5-C on July 16, 1942. In Poston, Alice was a contestant for the Poston County Fair Queen contest, and candidate for the F.F.A. Winter Gathering Queen contest. Alice was in the senior class of 1943, the first graduating class at Poston II High School. Following graduation, Alice was among the first released from Poston on August 17, 1943 to continue her education in St. Louis, Missouri. Alice earned an Associates degree from Brown Business College, and stayed with a doctor's family in Clayton, Missouri and worked by taking care of the doctor's children. Alice worked with the War Relocation Authority, helping other released internees find housing and jobs.
Alice attended a dance in St Louis, Missouri where she drew a half a card and was paired with the man who drew the other half, and met Harry Hayashi, who was raised in Grand Junction, Colorado. Harry was drafted into the Army and sent to Washington University for specialized training. They were engaged before he was shipped out for combat and in 1946, were married when he returned from duty.
After her work with WRA, Alice became a secretary in the Adjudication Department of the Veterans Administration until 1948, the office manager for the Municipal Softball League until 1976. She retired from the VA in 1948, and from the softball league until she retired in 1976.
Alice attended a dance in St Louis, Missouri where she drew a half a card and was paired with the man who drew the other half, and met Harry Hayashi, who was raised in Grand Junction, Colorado. Harry was drafted into the Army and sent to Washington University for specialized training. They were engaged before he was shipped out for combat and in 1946, were married when he returned from duty.
After her work with WRA, Alice became a secretary in the Adjudication Department of the Veterans Administration until 1948, the office manager for the Municipal Softball League until 1976. She retired from the VA in 1948, and from the softball league until she retired in 1976.
Alice held PTA leadership positions in the Dewey School Elementary and Southwest High School, served as a Youth leader for the St. Louis JACL, and member of Ikebana International Society.
Alice passed away on March 28, 2011 in St. Louis at the age of 88 years. She was preceded in death by her parents, Jitaro and Fujie Yamaoka; brother, Don Noboru; and sisters, Fusa, Haruko, Yoshiko and Mitsuko Flora.
She is survived by husband, Harry Hayashi; son, Dennis; daughter, Joyce Ann; and sister, Taeko May (Bob) Whang.
Sources
http://www.obitoftheday.com/post/4340566998/alicehayashi
St. Louis Post-Dispatch on April 3, 2011
