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Page 10 West Vancouver Historical Society March 2004 (Continued from Page 9) Homrna, the second youngest of his eight children, only learned of his father’s contributions to the Japanese Canadian community at the age of twenty-four while listening to the eulogies delivered at Tomekichi’s funeral. Two years ago, Keay asked his daughter Tenney to speak about her grandfather at an evening lecture that was part of the Nikkei Week 125 celebrations at the Japanese Canadian National Museum. For Tenney, the talk on behalf of the Homma clan sparked a renewed interest in the history of her grandfather and his family and led to several unexpected and wonderful opportunities and events. She is currently putting together a chronological description of Tomekichi’s life, along with a written record of the family’s oral stories. As she sifts through the various photographs and stories it is with an awareness that time is both fleeting and precious. As she says, "There are only two of his children still living, one being my father. There is a kindled urgency to document their memories now.” In pulling together remembrances about him, specifically from his two children and close family friends, Tenney is shedding light on her grandfather and his life but finds that every discovery leads to new questions and investigations. It is an exploration, she says, that is far from over. Part of Tenney’s curiosity stems from her grandfather’s reluctance to talk about himself and his accomplishments. What she has learned has only served to pique her curiosity further. When she speaks about him, it is with obvious respect and pride. “My grandfather was a quiet, learned man descended from an aristocratic family. He embraced high ideals and principles taught to him at an early age by his parents. Tomey’s father followed the samurai traditions; he demonstrated to his fourth son the meaning of duty and courage. Under his mother’s careful tutelage, Tomekichi learned languages and became an accomplished scholar. She instilled in her son a willingness to serve the community and help those less fortunate. His parents’ influence and guidance helped shape the man Tomekichi would later become, a man who believed passionately injustice, dignity and equality for all.” She sees her grandfather as not only an inspiration for herself, but for all Nikkei, and indeed, for all Canadians. “Tomekichi Homma spent his life serving the early Japanese community in British Columbia, remaining steadfast in his pursuit to make Canada a democratic home for the Japanese, and advocating for their rights. For Tomey, success was not measured in financial terms; he was not a wealthy man. The richness of his life is measure through his experiences of devoting his talents and skills for the benefit of others.” For Tenney and her family, her grandfather’s legacy continues to exert a powerful influence. This past summer the Homma clan celebrated the first family reunion in Winnipeg, Manitoba, with five generations of Hommas coming together. They made sure that the younger Homma children learned about the accomplishments of their great grandfather Tomekichi Homma. A family album containing photographs of Tomey, his wife Matsu; and their children was created and a compilation of historical documents and newspaper clippings was organized and distributed to the delight of each family branch. Tenney’s advice for others with an interest for delving into the past: “Researching one’s family’s past is a creative process. Never predict what you might discover. Venture forward with no expectations and embrace oppo.dunities; you never know where they might lead. Be patientâ€"valuable information can be found from the most unlikely sources.” Tenney’s Fellow Speaker While Tenney spoke essentially about the meaning of her grandfather’s history to the Homma family, her fellow speaker, lawyer and Ph.D history candidate Andrea Geiger- Adams, dilated on Mr. Homma’s legal struggles through the courts and legislaturesâ€"both provincial and federalâ€"to get the right to vote for his fellow Japanese Canadians. We at the February general meeting benefited from the fact that Andrea’s thesis topic centres on Meiji-era Japanese immi- grants to Canada and the western U.S. It was through her research that she came upon Mr. Homma’s family in B.C. His youngest son Keay (an ex-West Van student) was a font of information. Keay’s daughter Tenney (on staff at Ridgview School) was a perfect speaking partner for Andrea in the presentation they gave at our meeting. We heard how he took his petition both to the provincial and federal governments where it was accepted. But suc- cess was to elude him. It was denied him when he petitioned the Privy Council in London, which body then functioned as Canada’s supreme court. That court cited legislation to back their decision, holding that the British Columbia Elections Act of 1897, which provided that no Japanese whether naturalized or not should shall have the right to vote is ultra vires. It would not be until the spring of 1949 that Tomekichi’s efforts would be rewarded. But he did not live to see the day. He died in Slocan on October 28th, 1945. He had still been barred from returning to the coast after having earlier been forced to move inland in 1942 together with all Japa- nese Canadians on the coast. It should be noted that Andrea’s passionate interest in her topic springs partly from her having lived in Japan for a number of years as a child. We were fortunate to have been Ijeneficiaries of it at our January 28th general meeting.