| Frank Silva |
My
Santa Maria
Memories
Santa Maria
Memories
| The Swartz Family The Swartzes were from Germany, well educated with a good sense of social and civil responsibility and when they started something, they did a great job. The Swartzes ran a dairy, with plenty of room to park car(refugee cars) AND barbed wire fencing around their place- to keep the hunters of the refugees out. So, an overnight camp was set up there. An old dairy milking barn was converted to showers and restroom. Another barn was used for cooking and washing clothes. Some of the refugees did get spoiled on the Swartz treatment. The Swartz family did much work supporting themselves plus what they did for the refugees, including taking turns guarding the one gate going in and out. Mr and mrs took one turn and then their two daughters took the next- day and night. Mr Swartz was a big man, but the rifles were bigger than the others. I never did hear of the Swartzes shooting the guns- the mother and the girls would be pushed back into the next county if they had shot the guns. Enough for joking, the Swartzes did very much work to help the refugees. Mr Swartz had been a solid Germany Nazi during World War II, a solid love-everybody afterwards. The whole Swartz family had big hearts. |
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| Bobby Dias |
| Japaneese Internment Camp Refugees |
| Identity Theft In the 1950s I met a Japanese lady, in her 40s or 50s, who introduced herself to me and dozens of others as Masumi Hayashi. She asked me to take her to some of the Japanese refugee camps in and near theSanta Maria Valley, her saying that the refugees would not talk to, her being an outsider(not having been in the internment camps). For about 20 hours over 3 days I introduced her to about 70 former internment camp residents who Masumi interviewed about their thoughts about being in the internment camps. Every one said that they thought the US did the right course action and did not have any claim against the US. Having said that, I recently learned of a person who said she was born in the Gila River Relocation Camp- but that camp was closed more than a year before she was born. This Masumi Hayashi used the name of the previous Masumi Hayashi and built her reputation on the work of her predecessor, with one big difference- the Masumi Hayashi of photography fame used the real Masumi's name to grow hatred in the hearts of many. The real Masumi Hayashi tried to eliminate hatred because of the internment camps. So, if you hear of Masumi Hayashi of Masumimuseum.com or of Cleveland, Ohio- you are hearing of a thief of character and hate-maker. |