Notable Person

Thomas Tamotsu Nishikubo

(Biography, as told by Tom's sister, Janet Hartmann)

Tom was born August 29, 1929 in Santa Monica CA to Mac Nakagawa and Mary Kitano. His early years were spent in the West Los Angeles area where the 10 and 405 freeways now intersect. In those days the area consisted of fields, where flowers and vegetables were grown. On the weekends, stars from Hollywood's golden age such as Loretta Young, Bing Crosby, Clark Gable, and others would shop for flowers and produce at the farmer's market.

Tom's parents divorced when he was a young boy. His mother married Ben Nishikubo. Ben adopted Tom and legally changed his name to Thomas Nishikubo. The family moved closer to downtown Los Angeles sometime later. Tom then attended grammar school at Maryknoll Mission (i.e. St. Francis Xavier Chapel), where he became involved in the drum and bugle corps.

The United States declared war on Japan in 1941. In the spring of 1942 under Executive Order 9066 the United States government ordered the evacuation of west coast Japanese to US government internment camps located in remote, desolate inland areas such as Manzanar CA, Gila Bend, AZ and Granada, CO.

Ben, Mary and 13-year-old Tom were all US citizens born on US soil. They were now classified "enemy aliens" and were told to report to the Santa Anita racetrack in Arcadia, CA. The racetrack was used as a staging area since it was large and located next to train tracks, where railroad cars would be brought to transport the Japanese to the internment camps. At Santa Anita they were assigned to a horse stable for housing. The straw reeked of horse urine. Horse feces were embedded in the stable walls. Tom's mother Mary was nine months pregnant and delivered a son, Norman, in the jockey's infirmary at the racetrack. Tom only told me that it smelled really bad.

Soon after, they boarded a train, which took them to the Amache Internment Camp in Granada, CO. At Amache they lived in a wood framed, tarpaper walled barrack that provided little shelter from the wind, bitter cold winters and blazing hot summers. Tom said it was always windy and dusty. He continued his education at Amache High School. Japanese American teachers, who had also been caught up in the evacuation, staffed it. He did not know any of his classmates, but quickly made friends with them. His presence put them at ease, which was noted by his teachers.

The US government authorized the release of the incarcerated Japanese in December 1944. Ben, Mary, Tom and Norman moved to Scottsbluff, NB, where Ben had been offered a job. Ironically he drove a truck delivering goods from a US government warehouse to various government locations.

In the winter of 1944, Mary gave birth to a baby girl, who died shortly after. Ben could not stay home to care for Mary, who was suffering from complications from the birth. Tom took care of his mom while Ben was away. It would not be the last time he took care of her.

World War II ended on September 2, 1945. Ben decided to move the family back to Los Angeles to start resuming their lives. He and Mary intended to recover their furniture and household goods from the US government warehouse, where they had been forced to store their possessions. At the warehouse, they found nothing. It had been looted. Drawings made and essays written by a boy named Tom and photos of him were gone, disappeared and never, ever found.

Ben and Mary had another child in November 1945. Tom now had a baby sister named Janet. Ben and Mary were determined to provide their children with the best possible education. Tom was enrolled in Loyola High School in Los Angeles and was active in the ROTC program and track. He resumed his drum and bugle interest. He was the first and lone Japanese American student enrolled at Loyola since the 1942 evacuation. Ben worked two jobs to support his family. Mary worked as a seamstress at home to earn extra income.

After two years at Loyola, Tom won the Cadet Major Award scoring 95% in all of his ROTC exams. Archbishop James Francis A. McIntyre officiated at the ceremony. In his senior year, Tom also won the Outstanding Bandsman Award for playing the drums.

Tom then enrolled at Loyola University in Los Angeles. He studied electrical engineering and resumed his ROTC activities. At age 20 Tom was promoted to the rank of First Lieutenant. He also won the American Legion Leadership Award and certificate for being an outstanding cadet. Tom was smart, but also clever. He joined the band so he could attend all of the away from home football games.

Before Tom could earn his BS in engineering, he was drafted into the US Army. The US was fighting a war in Korea. He first reported to Fort Ord, CA, where he was named winner of the American Spirit Medal of the Fort Ord Leaders Course. The medal was awarded to the individual best typifying 'the qualities of American spirit, honor, loyalty and high example to his fellow comrades in arms.' Major General Robert B. McClure, Commanding General of the Sixth Infantry Division, presented the award.

Due to his ROTC experience and engineering studies, Private Thomas Nishikubo was assigned to the Signal Corps Officer Candidate School and sent to Fort Monmouth NJ. He was then sent to Korea. It was there he learned how to sleep at night, while standing in the wet, freezing cold trenches. He performed the duties of a communications lineman, when not performing guard duty or on patrol. He was Honorably Discharged from the military with the rank of Second Lieutenant in 1952. He joined the US Army Reserves shortly after and was promoted to Major prior to leaving the Reserves.

After serving in Korea, Tom went to work for Pacific Telephone as a voice and communications technician. Due to his previous lineman's experience in the Army, he was assigned duties in buildings that routed telephone calls from one location to another. These buildings were known as central offices. It did not take the management at the telephone company very long to recognize Tom's talents as a technician and leader. During the next few years Tom was promoted four times from an entry-level technician to a project manager in the Engineering Department.

He was soon assigned to the Hill St. central office in downtown Los Angeles. This location was a major AT&T communications hub and the control center for all television, telegraph and overseas operations. At that time communication technology was all analog based. Soon the Hill St. central office would be the site for the emerging new technology of microwave transmission and the dawn of the digital age. Several times Tom was sent to AT&T in New York to receive microwave and digital data transmission training. Back in Los Angeles he was chartered with leading the team to implement the technology.

He then traveled to Pacific Telephone's headquarters in San Francisco working on the project to bring digital transmission technology to California and Nevada. (Nevada was part of Pacific Telephone at this time.) He flew home to Los Angeles Friday evening after working a full day. Saturday and Sunday morning he was up early to take his sons to swimming competition or scouting events. On Sunday evenings he flew back to San Francisco to continue work on his project. Family and scouting were important to Tom. The work and flight schedule was extremely difficult, but he did it for over two years.

In 1971 he also played a major role in reestablishing telephone service to the areas cut off by the Sylmar earthquake. Tom was also the lead project manager on multiple high visibility projects held in Los Angeles. He was responsible for all voice, data, local and foreign news media and television communications for the 1960 Democratic Convention, the 1984 Summer Olympics, and several Rose Parades.

This activity required that at least 8-10 semi-truck trailers preloaded with portable telephone equipment be delivered to a predetermined communications hub venue such as the Los Angeles Convention Center. The trailer equipment needed to be hooked up to the Pacific Telephone central office. Several hundred pieces of communication equipment such as telephones, telegraphs, television, media links, monitors and other equipment had to be installed, tested and ready to go into service within the hub communications venue. Tom was the guy who made it happen.

In 1984 the US Justice Department declared that AT&T, which was nicknamed 'Ma Bell' was a monopoly. The telephone giant was broken up into seven companies euphemistically called 'Baby Bells'. In 1987 Tom retired after working 38 years in telephony.

Tom always remembered that he was a Scout. One evening after leaving his parent's house, he noticed a small boy struggling to free his kite that was stuck in a tree. He stopped to help. After a 20 minute struggle, the kite was freed and the small boy said, 'Thanks Mister!' For Tom this was an unexpected reward.

He also always remembered the words of General Douglas MacArthur, 'Duty, Honor, Country'. Tom passed a local armory after sunset one night. He noted that the US flag was still flying and it was not illuminated. He pulled into the armory parking lot and entered the office. He asked for the Commanding Officer after identifying himself as Major Thomas Nishikubo, Ret. There was a quiet, brief conversation between the two officers. Thereafter the flag was always taken down at the appropriate time.

Tom had another opportunity to care for his mom. Mary suffered a catastrophic brain injury resulting from a fall in April 1997. She was in the hospital for two months. Each day he would sit with his dad Ben in ICU or at the foot of Mary's bed. When visiting hours were over, Tom drove home in the ink dark of night to work on Scouting. When Mary was released from the hospital to go home, she was totally custodial for 17 months. Tom took care of his mom by taking her to doctor appointments. He loaded his wheelchair bound mom into his minivan and securely strapped her and the chair into the van. On these occasions, he also brought food and groceries for Ben and Mary to eat. After the doctor visits, Tom went home to work on Scouting. She passed away Thanksgiving morning 1998 with Tom and Ben at her side.

Tom never bragged about his job at Pacific Telephone. He only mentioned his promotions, projects and trips to New York and San Francisco as a casual conversational aside. In this respect he was a very private and humble person.

He never complained about the many hardships he experienced and endured as a youth, soldier, father and mentor. At age 76 he said he had to get a warmer sleeping bag and a better air mattress because sleeping on the ground at scouting campouts was a bit tough.

Tom suffered from gout, which is a very painful form of arthritis typically involving the feet. He suffered a gout attack at a Scouting event in Dallas, which required him to walk a long distance across a plaza from the hotel to the Scout venue. He severely limped and several attendees noticed it. He brushed off the pain as if it was just a minor inconvenience.

January 1, 2010, while enjoying New Year brunch with family and friends, Tom casually told me he might need hemodialysis treatments because his kidneys were starting to fail. He told me not to worry. By March 30, 2010 Tom was in the hospital with kidney problems. He passed away September 23, 2010 from terminal kidney failure.

While raising his family of three boys, Tom was involved in Scouting. After retirement he had more time for Scouting. In total he devoted 57 years to the Catholic Committee on Scouting. He served on the National Executive Committee for many years. As a youth he advanced to the level of Star Scout. Two of his sons are Eagle Scouts.

During his lifetime he was honored and awarded with:

• District Award of Merit
• Silver Beaver
• Silver Antelope
• Bronze Pelican
• St. George Emblem
• Silver St. George Emblem
• Msgr. James E Dolan Award
• Third Name inscribed on the Plaque in the Chapel at Philmont Scout Ranch, NM

Tom had manners and respected laws. He opened doors for ladies and let them enter/exit buildings and rooms before him. He stood at attention, when the National Anthem was played. He annoyingly drove the speed limit on the freeways of Los Angeles, when the understood norm was 10-15 miles over the posted limit. Tom was never known to raise his voice, curse or swear. He was gifted with the ability to lead by example. He could make a salient point with profound implications with the expression of a single phrase. He was a 'gentleman' and a 'gentle man'.

We should remember Tom for his accomplishments, but only as examples of something far greater involving morality, noble values, and strength of character. His priorities were God, family, and work. Scouting was forever intertwined with these three things. It was what made him a whole person.