Okubo family papers

Shizue Okubo (née Tamura) was born on June 1, 1916 to Nobukichi Tamura (b. 1881-d.1980). Her mother’s name is unknown. Prior to the start of World War II, Shizue’s father, Nobukichi, was the owner and manager of the Tamura Hotel for approximately a 20 year period. The hotel was located at 440 Pacific Street in San Francisco, California. Shortly after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the Tamura family was sent to the Tanforan Assembly Center and was later interned at the Topaz Relocation Center in Utah. During her internment, Shizue served as a vocational instructor and faculty member at Topaz High School, as a senior nurse for the Red Cross all the while pursuing her passion for creating art. In 1945, she relocated to Chicago, Illinois, where she eventually met and married Tadashige Okubo. Tadashige Okubo was born on April 7, 1908 and was educated in Japan. He married Hiroko Carol Okubo in 1939 and had one child, Yoneko Carole Okubo. The couple divorced in 1948. For the duration of World War II, Tadashige was incarcerated at Heart Mountain Relocation Camp in Park County, Wyoming. He settled in Chicago after the war concluded and eventually remarried. Tadashige was a writer and worked at Chicago-area companies such as A.C. McClurg and Curtiss Candy.

Source: Okubo, Shizue