Martha Shoaf taught fourth grade to Japanese American students in Manzanar War Relocation Center during World War II. She arrived at the camp in February 1943, after earning a teaching credential at UCLA, and moved into a tarpaper-covered barracks. “It was sort of like camping with a roof over your head,” she later recalled. On Saturday, May 14, she will return to the site to share photos and memories of living and working in the camp.
One of the few remaining camp educators, Ms. Shoaf will present a 45-minute program beginning at 2 p.m. in the west theater of the Manzanar National Historic Site Interpretive Center. Her talk will be followed by an informal question and answer session. The program is free and open to the public. The center is located at 5001 Highway 395, six miles south of Independence, California. For more information on the program, please call 760-878-2194 ext. 10.
