Biography:
Masao Mayekawa was born on November 25, 1925, in Mountain View, California, to Issei parents Hisaye and Mogokichi. His older brother, Kazuo, was born in 1923. A sister, Yoko, was born in 1930 and a brother, Jack Toshio, was born in 1942.
Mayekawa attended Mountain View High School before the family was forcibly removed and sent to Santa Anita Assembly Center. They arrived at Heart Mountain on September 10, 1942. They lived in apartment 30-11-B.
Mayekawa was scheduled to leave camp for his pre-induction physical in April 1944. He was arrested May 13, 1944, and was tried and convicted in June 1944 of violating the Selective Service Act. Mayekawa was sentenced to three years in federal prison. He was released in July 1946 and pardoned by President Harry Truman on December 24, 1947. He served in the Army during the Korean War.
After his release, Mayekawa eventually worked as a partner in T.M. Irrigation Specialties, Co. for 20 years. He died on February 8, 2003, in Santa Cruz, California. He was survived by his wife, Betty Jane, his son, Douglas, his two daughters, Melanie and Gayle, and his two brothers, Kazuo and Jack.