Ken Tamura Papers
Scope and Contents of the Collection
This collection consists of a variety of materials from Ken Tamura’s life. Photographs include a portrait, school photographs, people on vacation, a football game, and people saying good-bye on a train. This collection also contains a photograph album of a child growing up which includes birthday cards, photographs of people in Japanese American internment camps, such as Tule Lake and Rohwer Relocation Center, and photographs of friends and family. Lastly, this collection contains a letter about the creation of Japanese tea from Griggs, Cooper, and Company.
Dates
- Creation: 1893-2014
Creator
- Tamura, Ken (Creator, Person)
Language of materials
Materials are in English and some Japanese.
Access
This collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
All requests for permission to reproduce or to publish must be submitted in writing to Special Collections.
Biographical/ Historical Information
Ken Tamura was a 2nd generation Japanese American born in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, in 1923, where he attended elementary, middle, and high school. His family visited Japan in 1939 and then moved to Los Angeles in 1940. After the attack on Pearl Harbor in December of 1941, his family was sent to a relocation center in Pomona, and then relocated to Heart Mountain internment camp in Wyoming. In 1942, an old friend was able to sponsor Ken Tamura to leave the internment facility, and he moved to Chicago. However, in 1944, he was drafted by the United States Army into a Nisei regiment, which was sent to France to fight. At the end of World War II, he was forced to continue his service in the military in Japan, serving as a translator. By the end of 1945, he was finally discharged and moved back to Chicago, where he lived with his family.
Extent
0.4 Linear Feet (1 document box + 1 oversized folder)
Abstract
This collection consists of a variety of materials from Ken Tamura’s life. Ken Tamura was 2nd generation Japanese American born in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, in 1923. After the attack on Pearl Harbor in December of 1941, his family was sent to a relocation center in Pomona (California), and then relocated to Heart Mountain internment camp in Wyoming. In 1942, an old friend was able to sponsor Ken Tamura to leave the internment facility, and he moved to Chicago. In 1944, he was drafted by the United States Army into a Nisei regiment, which was sent to France to fight. At the end of World War II, he was forced to continue his service in the military in Japan, serving as a translator. This collection has a photograph album of a child growing up including birthday cards, photographs of people in Japanese American internment camps, such as Tule Lake and Rohwer Relocation Center, and photographs of friends and family. The collection also contains a letter about the creation of Japanese tea from Griggs, Cooper, and Company.
Arrangement
Items are arranged in alphabetical order by folder title.
Physical location
Please consult repository.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased, 2013.
Accruals
No additions to the collection are anticipated.
Processing Information
Processed by Phoebe Huth in 2014 in the Claremont Center for Engagement with Primary Sources (CCEPS), with assistance from Lisa Crane. Photographs were placed in mylar sleeving. A photograph album was disbound and the pages were placed in mylar sleeves.
- Title
- Guide to the Ken Tamura Papers
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Phoebe Huth, CCEPS Fellow, Fall 2014
- Date
- © 2015
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the 01 - Special Collections & Archives, The Claremont Colleges Library Repository
800 North Dartmouth Ave
Claremont CA 91711 United States
Email: specialcollections@claremont.edu