George
Teitaro Aihara (1918 - 2016)
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| George T. Aihara |
George Teitaro Aihara (Poston 213-6-C) was born on
November 1, 1918, in Sunnyvale, California, as the first son of Teikichi and
Torano Aihara, immigrants of Gunma-ken, Japan. George was a 1938 graduate of Fremont
High School in Sunnyvale, and 1948 from San Jose State College. As a teenager,
he was fascinated with flying and in the 1930s he assisted with the tethering
of the giant airship, the USS. Macom at Moffett Field. While attending San Jose
State College, he joined the newly formed college Flying Club and became one of
the first Japanese Americans to hold a commercial flying license. In 1940, he was the first American of
Japanese ancestry to qualify and hold a flight instructor rating to become an
active flight instructor.
Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, George enlisted in the Army Air Corps in January 1942. After the signing of Executive Order 9066, he was grounded from flying and honorably discharged. He was forcibly evacuated to the Salinas Assembly Center with his widowed father and sisters, Helen, and Chitose. On July 5, 1942, they were transferred to the Poston, Arizona concentration camp 2.
Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, George enlisted in the Army Air Corps in January 1942. After the signing of Executive Order 9066, he was grounded from flying and honorably discharged. He was forcibly evacuated to the Salinas Assembly Center with his widowed father and sisters, Helen, and Chitose. On July 5, 1942, they were transferred to the Poston, Arizona concentration camp 2.
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| George Aihara Vice-Principal |
At the camp, George T. Aihara was appointed vice-principal of the Poston
2 high school for the first semester in 1943 and in 1944, he was the school
registrar. On March 7, 1944, he left the camp with an invitation in Buffalo,
New York. On February
15, 1945, he enlisted at Fort , New Jersey and assigned to the Counter Intelligence Corp
(CIC) as a special agent.
From 1945 to 1947 M/Sgt. George T. Aihara served in Occupied Japan under
General MacArthur in the Counter Intelligence Corp. He was discharged in
November 1947 at Fort Lawton, Washington.
After the war, George returned to the Bay Area and completed college at San Jose State. From the late 1940s through the late 1960s he worked in aviation as an engineer, first with Hiller Helicopters in Palo Alto; then with Filper Helicopters in San Ramon, California. In the late 1960’s, he worked for Lockheed on the development of the AH-56 Cheyenne helicopter (predecessor to the AH-64 Apache). In 1969, George took a job at Sylvania Electronics in Santa Cruz and moved the family to Santa Cruz Gardens in Soquel, California where he lived for the next 47 years. In 1974, George began working at the Physical Plant at the University of California at Santa Cruz, (UCSC), and eventually became the Grounds Maintenance Supervisor, Physical Plant at the University-- a position he held until his retirement in 1987.
After the war, George returned to the Bay Area and completed college at San Jose State. From the late 1940s through the late 1960s he worked in aviation as an engineer, first with Hiller Helicopters in Palo Alto; then with Filper Helicopters in San Ramon, California. In the late 1960’s, he worked for Lockheed on the development of the AH-56 Cheyenne helicopter (predecessor to the AH-64 Apache). In 1969, George took a job at Sylvania Electronics in Santa Cruz and moved the family to Santa Cruz Gardens in Soquel, California where he lived for the next 47 years. In 1974, George began working at the Physical Plant at the University of California at Santa Cruz, (UCSC), and eventually became the Grounds Maintenance Supervisor, Physical Plant at the University-- a position he held until his retirement in 1987.
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| George T. Aihara |
George was active with the Capitola
Lion's Club and youth exchange program, as well as the U.C.S.C. Retirees
Associ-
ation (Silver Slugs). He had a great passion for woodworking, and made cupboards,
dressers, desks, and cabinets to furnish his home.
George T. Aihara, died on May 31, 2016 at his home in Santa Cruz, California at the age of 97 years. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Yoko; sons, Dean and Byron; and many nieces and nephews.
George T. Aihara, died on May 31, 2016 at his home in Santa Cruz, California at the age of 97 years. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Yoko; sons, Dean and Byron; and many nieces and nephews.
