Sandra Gamo is just old enough to be able to say that she was "a rare species" in the late 1950s, when she was a bilingual Pan American Airways flight hostess. In those days few young women in this part of the world had achieved her level of two languages, poise and presence. Remarkably, and very early in life despite wartime deprivations, she determined her aims. She has been showing her mettle ever since.
She was born in Tokyo, claiming American citizenship through her mother, who came here from Hawaii. Sandra and her brother had the war years and elementary education in Japan, then the family went to Hawaii. "I was already 10," Sandra said. "I was reading a lot. The University of Hawaii has a very good Asian library. I knew the importance of reading and writing, and I used to go to the library, and read and improve my languages." She had the thought in mind that she would fly eventually, but in the meantime she entered the University of Hawaii. She was acknowledging the influence of her father, who was an architect, when she undertook the university's architectural course.
After completing it, Sandra was interviewed and accepted by Pan American Airways. She trained, flew briefly, enjoyed it less than she thought she would, and married. "I was very young," she said. "My husband was Japanese, and we came to Japan. They were fun years."