<Begin Segment 13>

TI: Okay, so let's go back. So we're now, the war has started, your parents and your three younger sisters are in Japan, you're almost ready to graduate from the University of Washington. How did the University of Washington handle you and other Japanese American students who were so close to graduation? Were there any ways of, for you to finish courses early or anything like that?

KY: I don't remember any particular decisions except that fact that this was in May, so we got word that we had to evacuate and get out of here. Well, the end of May, and then there'd be graduation for us, but this happened during early May. So I don't remember what four classes or five classes I was taking at the spring term of 1941, or I should say '42. No, '41 when the war started.

TI: Well, actually, by then, May, it'd be May of '42.

KY: Yeah, '42, I don't know exactly what courses except for one. All the other professors said, "Okay, you've done fine work and we'll give you credit for this course," except for one course. I don't remember what that was, maybe labor relations or something. Anyway, this professor says, "You haven't passed your final exam. So you're still an incomplete course here. You haven't earned enough credits, so can't let you graduate." So he says, "Sorry, you're not going to graduate with the June class." And so that was the way it ended at the time. And the professor says, "Well, to give you a chance to get a degree, we'll send you a final exam, written essay type thing, and if you pass that, then we'll let you graduate." I mean, "you'll have enough credits and you can graduate." So I did not graduate as a, month of June, regular graduating class, but I took the final exam in camp, and it must have been Pinedale or maybe Tule Lake. Must have been Pinedale, 'cause this is right after... yeah, Pinedale. Took the final exam in Pinedale and then a few weeks later, I got word that I had passed. So since I did not graduate in June, they considered me August of 1945 graduate. 1940... '5, yeah. '46, 1946.

TI: And so when you completed this final paper, final test, sent it in, he gave you credit.

KY: Yeah.

TI: So how did the University of Washington acknowledge that you were now a graduate?

KY: The only evidence, shall we say, or fundamental proof, I don't know if that's even the right word in the sense that last year, they had this special ceremony for honorary degree, Bachelor of Arts degree, from University of Washington, and this special ceremony in May of last year. So they sent me one of those letters, too, so he said, "Come get your honorary degree." But actually, I had received my degree in August.

TI: So they mailed it to you.

KY: Yeah, they mailed it to me during that period. So a lot of the people attending the university, and I don't know who they actually gave it to, whether the juniors got it, too, I don't really know. But anyway, honorary degree was given to us. And I was very fortunate to have the president of the university, I was seated in the front row in a wheelchair type thing, shook my hand and I received it.

TI: This is the one that was last year at the University of Washington, so President Mark Emmert, I believe.

KY: Emmert, yeah.

TI: Acknowledged you.

KY: Yeah, so that was an honor. Technically I didn't deserve to be in the group, 'cause I had received a formal degree.

TI: So you didn't need the honorary degree, because you had the real degree.

KY: Yeah. I have all of the paraphernalia that goes with it.

TI: So Reverend Yamashita, I won't tell anybody. [Laughs]

KY: Anyway, that's the way it happened, yeah.

<End Segment 13> - Copyright (c) 2009 Densho. All Rights Reserved.