Young Athlete, Yoichi Kishi
Sept. 22, 1931
I hope Uncle H. Kishi is helpful to you. His son Yoichi is in his senior year in High School at Beaumont and because the coaches beg for his services I urged him to try for the team. Last Friday he played End on the team for two quarters of the game against Lafayette, Louisiana, and Beaumont won 25 to 0. Saturday, I took him to Port Arthur since I was going there anyhow to officiate in the Port Arthur vs. Sour Lake game. He got in free with his Beaumont squad as guests of Port Arthur.
January 17, 1932
Yoichi, though a substitute End on the football team at Beaumont High, earned a letter and a gold football and sweater because he played enough times while Beaumont went and played up to Christmas day for the State finals against Abilene. Abilene won the state championship by the score of 13 – 0. I had to caution him several times that during the football season he is not to think that he can go beyond the school orders and rules. It was good that the officers of the school did not take drastic steps, which Yoichi was inviting at that time. He is not bad, but is young enough to follow the acts of some of his teammates in taking advantage of all he can get by with.
March 20, 1932
Yoichi seems to have flu because he developed 104 and sometimes 105 degrees from Friday night (night before last). His mother has not been strong, due to cold and headaches, but when she saw her son’s condition, she immediately began to nurse him. The boy is resting with almost normal temperature now. He has been rather careless about school discipline lately; therefore, his mother will insist on him attending tomorrow to school in spite of his weakened condition because he is at a crisis with the school authorities.
October, 2004
Norman explained that the reason that he was in trouble with the school authorities was because he got into fights when kids at Beaumont High School called him Jap or Chink. (Interview with G.J.H., Oct, 2004)
