Aiko Alice Kuromi Ito (1919 – 2011) was born in Los Angeles to Japanese immigrants who owned a flower farm in Los Feliz where Alice and her siblings grew up. She attended Los Feliz Elementary School, Thomas King Jr. High, John Marshall High School, and Hollywood High School where she was one of the few Asian American students. In April of 1942, her family was incarcerated at the Santa Anita Racetrack Assembly Center, while the Gila River Relocation Center in Gila, Arizona was completed. Eventually, they were sent to Gila, though Alice was allowed to leave after six months to marry Arthur Ito, who was in Illinois as a serviceman for the U.S. Armed Forces. She lived in Minnesota for much of the war, working in a flower shop and teaching Japanese to Army Specialized Training Program students. After the war, Alice and her family moved back to Los Angeles where they successfully rebuilt their flower business from scratch.