Katsuo Suzuki: Voluntarily moved to Idaho after Executive Order 9066
Katsuo Suzuki was born on April 28, 1933 in Los Angeles, California. He grew up in the Gardena area, where his family owned a chicken farm. Suzuki was nine years old when Pearl Harbor occurred, and when Executive Order 9066 was ordered, he had the opportunity to voluntarily move to a farm in Idaho.
The transition between California and Idaho was difficult to adapt to for Suzuki, especially since the farm in Idaho did not have any plumbing! Although Suzuki did not face discrimination in California, he was the youngest Japanese-American on the farm, and the only Japanese-American that went to school in the area, facing discrimination due to the rising resentment against Japanese-Americans during World War II.
Academically, Suzuki tried to keep under the radar by being a mediocre student in order not to be picked on, however his skills shone in East High School’s intramural basketball team. Suzuki was also a member of the Reserve Officer’s Training Corps (ROTC), a school club where members dressed in military uniform and participated in drills. Suzuki was a valued member of the ROTC and won numerous awards.
Suzuki had many jobs on the farm, from taking care of the animals and chopping wood, to carrying buckets and driving tractors. Suzuki left Idaho in 1947, moving to Salt Lake City for a short period. He was a Korean War veteran, and toured Germany on military duty throughout the 1950s. Suzuki has many hobbies including collecting leaves and fossils. He now lives happily with his family in Culver City, California.o.
Katsuo Suzuki, bottom left, drssed in his ROTC uniform for East High School.