Church newsletter profile of Rose Tani

The following is a profile of Rose Tani, written by Barbara Barta for the First Church of Lombard newsletter:

Rose Tani

Rose was born near Sacramento, California, one of six children, her father being a member of a Samurai family; but her parents practiced Christianity.

Her two brothers received the bulk of parental attention, girls being thought of as not needing much education, but all were taught to "OBEY!"

Her parents traveled all day in a horse and buggy to Sacramento for shopping but their first car was an Overland, complete with a crank which Rose had kick back and hurt her arm, unable to complain about the hurt because she was forbidden to play with the crank. (So much for OBEY!)

When she was 10 years old, she drove to her piano lessons, hitting 25-30 mph on the way!

Rose took part in the Japanese-American Citizen's League, and it was there she met her husband Henry and danced with him while working as a nanny and cleaning house for a mortician in San Francisco so that she could be near Henry during a one-year courtship.

After Pearl Harbor, they couldn't travel more than 5 miles from home, had to be home by 8 p.m. and were finally interned, along with six-week-old Dick and four other people in a 20-by-40-foot space in a barracks.

"Other people were in smelly horse stalls, but they gave us barracks because of the baby."

After six months, they were moved to Utah and accommodations of their own, and Henry started a school for the high school students in the camp.

In 1944, they were released as were all Japanese-Americans who had a job that didn't involve going back to the west coast.

They moved to Lombard in 1964, and Henry died in 1965, leaving Rose with five children, the youngest being 4-year-old Dan, currently an astronaut preparing for his second entry into space.

But did you know that:

• She was a tomboy who could climb trees better than her brothers?

• She played violin and piano and made sure that all of her children had musical training?

• During a piano recital, she forgot parts 2 and 3 and played part 1 over three times with only the teacher being aware?

• During an English speech to a Japanese audience, as salutatorian of the 8th grade class, she mixed up the paragraph order, but nobody understood English so she was saved the embarrassment?

• She played tennis in high school, unable to roller skate or ride a bike because there were no sidewalks in her farm community?

• She played basketball in grade and high school, high school being a 7-mile bus ride away?

• She pruned grape vines on her family's grape farm and worked picking strawberries on their second farm? "Grapes were better."

• She and her brother had to make the boxes for shipping the family grape crop, the cost of packaging often costing more than the crop brought in?

• She did her sister's housework so that she wouldn't get scolded for goofing off while she read "Gone With the Wind" in three days?

• Her 7-year-old brother picked up dynamite, unknown to him, and was killed when it exploded?

• She got up at 6 a.m. as a teenager to practice Kendo, Japanese fencing?

• She had only 18 diapers for Dick when they were interned, and the temperature would get so low they'd freeze solid on the line when she washed them?

• She picked up pieces of the Berlin Wall on one of her many Elder Hostel trips?

• She was a den mother?

• She wallpapered and painted their house because Henry traveled so much in his job?

• She still gardens an 18 by 40 foot plot, although she has finally quit digging it by hand?

• Her five children have made her grandmother to 11 and great-grandmother to 2?

• She loves to cook? And everyone loves her pies.

• She does all of her own housework (at age 88) and mowed her own lawn until this year?

You know now!