Misao and Elmer
Charcoal, watercolor on paper
18” x 24”
Charcoal, watercolor on paper
18” x 24”
A beautiful Japanese American girl named Misao Muranaga lived a life full of dreams and adventure. She took a bus by herself to a Mormon church in the next city over. It was there she found herself drawn to a kind-hearted American boy named Elmer, whose father worked for the military and had high security clearance. Their tender and pure love bloomed in the shadow of the world's uncertainties before WWII.
On December 7, 1941, Misao went to church as usual. Her mother told her not to go since Pearl Harbor had just been bombed by the Japanese. Misao insisted on going to church. On that day, Elmer's family went to the military base where Elmer's father worked. They were informed of the bombing of Pearl Harbor and were ordered to leave the premises.
On February 19, 1942, President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066. Misao, along with every person of Japanese descent, was forcibly taken to one of ten internment camps. She wanted to write to Elmer, but his father forbade it because of his high security clearance with the military. He thought it would pose a threat to communicate with the "enemy". Since Elmer lived and went to school in another city, and no one from Misao's school went to Mormon church, they had no common friend to help them keep in touch.
Separated by the cruel hands of history, their lives took different paths. Misao changed her name to Sally upon entering the Amache Internment Camp. After the war ended, her family was sent to live in Burbank, CA. Elmer was also living in Burbank nearby, but Sally did not know this.
Sally married her first husband and had four children. They divorced, and she married her second husband and had one daughter, Jennifer. Sally never spoke a word about Elmer. Elmer, too, got married and had four boys. Yet, he never forgot her. Even his wife told their children about his long lost love and the unjust treatment of the Japanese Americans.
Years turned into decades, but true love never fades. After Elmer's wife passed away, his son Kurt decided to find Misao Muranaga, his father's first true love. It wasn't an easy task since Misao unofficially changed her name to Sally. The unfortunate death of Sally's oldest brother actually helped with this search. Since her brother had been Killed In Action and later posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in 2000, the name "Muranaga" came up in internet searches.
In 2012, Kurt finally found Sally. She and Elmer were reunited after 70 years of separation. Since then, she flew to Northern California every month to visit Elmer.
When Elmer passed away in 2018, Sally's daughter had a Memory Bear made from the blue Hawaiian shirt Elmer wore when they first reunited in 2012.
Now 98 years old, Sally remains radiantly beautiful and goes to bed with the blue bear every night.
