This is Mas Kuraoka, John’s Dad. We thought we ought to have photos of him up on our website, especially since his grandson Leo carries his name as a middle name. But, we only just got around to scanning some photos of him. We think he’d have been fascinated by home computers and the internet, probably would have been an early adopter, and would get a kick out of having a web presence today. Click on any photo to see it full-screen.
1977: Fishing at June Lake. He loved to camp and fish. We did not own
a boat, but he would occasionally rent one. That’s clearly the case here,
because the caption on the back of the photo, in
his neat, draftsman’s hand printing, says: “1 trout = $11.00, June Lake, Aug. 25 1977.”
1976: Glen Pass, Southern Sierras. He participated in John’s
Boy Scout Troop 345 (Verdugo Hills Council) activities, including most of the
weekend backpacking trips and several
week-long backpacking trips in the Sierras. Here he is on our Rae Lakes Loop
trip, Wednesday, June 23, 1976. The backpack, an early JanSport D-5 with
its flexible frame and floating hip suspension, was state-of-the-art
technology at the time and a very rare sight on the trail.
1970s: At his drafting table. He worked as an electrical draftsman for the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power. This photo
must be from before the others, because it appears to be taken in DWP’s
General Office Building at 111 N. Hope St in downtown L.A. That view out the
window is probably blocked by other high-rises by now. A few years before he
died, he transferred to the Valley Steam Plant in Sun Valley, near San Fernando Road. The Valley Steam
Plant was a few miles from where we lived, and he’d bike to work almost
every day.
1950s: Serving Uncle Sam in Korea. Not sure of the exact date, but
it was after college (UCLA) and marriage.
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