Kenji Shinoda, D.D.S., (Poston
305-2-AB) was born on December 4, 1920 in Tulare County, California to
Japanese immigrant parents, Mr. & Mrs. Kuzo Shinoda. He graduated
from Orosi High School.
Following the signing of Executive Order 9066, Kenji and his parents, and siblings, Hitoshi,
Seiichi, Maki, Kiyo, Taye, Sumie, and Muto Shinoda and all other people of Japanese ancestry living in the area, were
evacuated from Cutler, California on August 5, 1942. They were transported by train to the Arizona
desert for their war time living quarters at the Poston internment camp 3
(block 305-2-AB). Temperatures at Poston were over 1923 degrees
that week. Kenji found outside employment in Glasgow, Montana and left
Poston on February 17, 1944. He later returned to Poston and found
employment in Chicago, and departed from Poston on May 7, 1945. Kenji was
called to report to Phoenix for selective service duty on May 25, 1945.
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| Kenji Shinoda 1945 |
After
the war, he moved to Los Angeles, where "a dentist started him thinking
along professional lines ." He attended
Los Angeles City College, and was a ex-labman and veteran of World War II, and
a fisherman. He and his wife Ruth made Los Angeles their home. He graduated
from the University of Southern California School of Dentistry in 1957. (USC
1957 yearbook)
Kenji
Shinoda passed the dental boards and was licensed to practice from 1957-1994. He
was a long time resident of Rancho Palos Verdes, California and died on May 20,
2013 at the age of 92. He was preceded
in death by his father, Kuzo (1963),
mother, Sayo (1963); sister, Maki Kikuchi (1997), and Sumi (1963); and brothers:
Hitoshi (2003), Mickey (2001), and Seichi (2008).
Kenji
is survived by his wife, Ruth; daughter, Susan (Richard) Gillette;
grandchildren, Gavin, Aiko, and Derek; great granddaughter, Ellowyn; brothers, Kiyo, Muto and Akira; and sister, Taye Abe.
Sources:
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/dailybreeze/obituary.aspx?n=kenji-shinoda&pid=164947890
U.S.C.
1957 yearbook
