Collection context
Summary
- Creators:
- W. Eugene Dimon
- Abstract:
- The W. Eugene Dimon papers contain newsletters, correspondence, albums and artifacts created by the Japanese who were detained at the Pomona Assembly Center in California from May to August 1942 and then transferred to the Heart Relocation Center in Wyoming in August 1942. The items were collected by W. Eugene Dimon, the Recreation Director of the Pomona Assembly Center.
- Extent:
- 1 document box (box 619, .5 linear feet) 2 oversize boxes (boxes 766 and 872)
- Language:
- Finding aid is written in English.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The collection contains materials created by the Japanese persons detained in the Pomona Assembly Center in 1942. These materials include a full run of the Pomona Center News, which documents the daily life in the Pomona Assembly Center, albums and artifacts given as gifts to Dimon before leaving the Pomona Assembly Center, and correspondence to Dimon after being sent to the Heart Mountain Relocation Center in Wyoming. The albums and the triptych (see box 872) contain drawings by an unknown artist, though they were most likely done by Ricky "Artist" Washizaki. Other artifacts include a poster, scroll, and mobile honoring Dimon. The collection also contains two photographs presumably taken at the Pomona Assembly Center and a newspaper clipping from the Daily News (Los Angeles, 1943) on the internment of Japanese persons. The majority of materials were created in 1942; one item of correspondence and the newspaper clipping are from 1943.
- Biographical / historical:
-
In 1942, the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds in Pomona was converted into a temporary detention camp for persons of Japanese descent until they were transported to war relocation centers. The Pomona Assembly Center received 5,514 persons between May 7 and August 24, 1942; the maximum population at one time was 5,434. The majority of the detainees were from Los Angeles, San Francisco and Santa Clara counties.
W. Eugene "Buck" Dimon served as the Recreation Director at the Pomona Assembly Center and was well-revered by the Japanese for his efforts to provide them with additional accommodations and services during their interim at the center. Dimon contacted local churches, schools, organizations, and the Pomona Public Library to donate used goods to the Assembly Center. His mother, Mrs. Eugene Dimon, was also noted for her kindness towards the Japanese detainees.
The majority of the detainees at the Pomona Assembly Center were transferred to the Heart Mountain War Relocation Center in Wyoming in August 1942.
- Acquisition information:
- The Japanese American Research Project (JARP) was established in 1962 jointly by the Japanese American Citizens League and the University of California, Los Angeles. Materials in the collection were donated after JARP was established.
- Arrangement:
-
The materials are arranged in chronological order beginning with the Pomona Center News, invitations to events at the Pomona Assembly Center, albums, photographs, correspondence, and clippings in box 619. The artifacts are housed separately in boxes 766 and 872.
- Physical location:
- Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact the UCLA Library Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
- Rules or conventions:
- Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: a Content Standard
Access and use
- Location of this collection:
-
A1713 Charles E. Young Research LibraryBox 951575Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575, US
- Contact:
- (310) 825-4988