“We were fortunate that Mr. Vincent did this for us because we still had a home.”
Mr. Eugene Vincent
Attorney
By Lorraine (Makishima) Seiji
My family lived in Berkeley, California when the evacuation order was given. This story was shared with me by my oldest brother (Jun, now deceased). Our dad was a gardener and one of his customers was an attorney, Eugene Vincent. He took care of our house while we were interned. We were fortunate that Mr. Vincent did this for us because when we finally returned to Berkeley, we still had our home.
Lorraine (Makishima) Seiji contributed the following photographs of her family which includes a further note about Mr. Eugene Vincent:
Left: Photo of the family in Keensburg, Colorado. Pictured: “My dad and mom, Jun (the oldest), Eugene (named after Mr. Eugene Vincent), and me. From here we returned to Berkeley. (My youngest brother, Dennis, was born in 1947.)”
Right: A photo of Lorraine’s father, a fireman in Gila River. “My dad and others were able to leave camp early in order to help farmers with their crops in Keensburg. I believe we joined him after being released from the Gila River Relocation Camp.”
Photos courtesy of Lorraine Seiji.