The training of George K. Kambara, MD

George K. Kambara has been a leader in ophthalmic education and practice on the West Coast. His choice of ophthalmology arose in part because of his e xperience running an eye, ear, nose, and throat clinic while interned as a Japanese American during World War II. His training took him from San Franc isco, to the Tule Lake Relocation Center, to the Memphis Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital, to the University of Wisconsin, and eventually back to Lo s Angeles. He saw both sides of discrimination, as a Japanese American in C alifornia and as a "white" in the South. He was turned down for positions t hat he should have had based on his education, but he was also supported by many individuals who put aside public fears to help him. His story shows a triumph of the spirit, but is also a reminder of dark times that should no t be forgotten.