Biography:

Shigezo Iwata was born in Japan and immigrated to the United States in 1924. Sonoko U. Iwata was born in Los Angeles in 1911. They were married in 1937 and made their home in Thermal, California where they farmed and Shigezo was secretary of the Thermal Farmer's Cooperative Association. Although Shigezo was married to an American citizen, when World War II began he came under suspicion as an "enemy alien." In March 1942 he was taken by the FBI to Santa Fe, New Mexico where he was given a hearing and eventually moved to the Lordsburg (NM) Internment Camp. Mrs. Iwata stayed in Thermal with their three small children to prepare for the impending evacuation of the area. Finally in 1943, after several appeals, Mr. Iwata was able to join his family at Poston for the remainder of the War. In 1945 the Iwatas were relocated to Long Island, New York, and in 1946 they moved to Seabrook, New Jersey.