A 1942 presidential order forced Ouchida, his family and more than 100,000 other Japanese or Japanese-Americans into guarded camps.

“My family lost everything,” he said. Their successful berry farm, a house, three cars. Ouchida, the son of Japanese immigrants, and his relatives each carried only a suitcase or two with them to the stockyards in Portland.

Ouchida abandoned his studies at Oregon State. But he took his chemistry books and studied in the internment-camp tent where his family lived for several months. “From childhood, I dreamed to be a chemist,” he said.

-snip-

To some, such a degree might seem a token gesture, not very useful to a man who left the working world a couple decades earlier.

But to Ouchida, who will be 90 next month, the degree represented all that was taken from him, how much harder he had to work to compete with college graduates.

“I’m relaxed. The tension’s not there anymore,” Ouchida said. “Sixty-six years I waited for this.”

-jm

Now, six decades later and after the work of current Oregon State University students, faculty and staff, the affected students were invited back to campus to receive their honorary degrees. I was in attendance at the events scheduled for the degree recipients and it was very emotional and powerful day as you’ll see form the video posted below. I was able to meet with Jack Yoshihara, who was a member of the Beaver Football team. When Jack was on the team, the Beavers competed in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day in 1942. This was a few weeks after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and Jack wasn’t allowed to travel to the game — the government considered him a security risk and his travel radius was limited to 35 miles. Also, large public gatherings on the West coast were prohibited and the 1942 Rose Bowl was moved from Pasadena, California, to Durham, North Carolina. Despite not being able to participate, Jack proudly bragged about how his team defeated the heavily-favored Duke University 20-16 and showed off his championship ring. You’ll see him at one point in the video sporting his Rose Bowl varsity jacket.

At long last, Jack and others received their honorary degrees on Sunday along with the current OSU graduating class of 2008. President Ed Ray stated “It is a great privilege for all of us at Oregon State University to honor our former students with their degrees. A great wrong was done to them and it is never too late to do the right thing. More importantly, we should use the memory of this sad and unconscionable chapter of our history to strengthen our resolve to stand up for each and every member of our community when we are tested, as we surely will be in the future.â€?

Those honored were: Noboru Endow, Raymond Hashitani*, Roy R. Hashitani*, Shigeru Hongo*, Kate Iwasaki*, Masao Kinoshita*, Kay Kiyokawa, Sigeo Kiyokawa*, Taro Miura, Kay Nakagiri, Tom Namba*, Jack Nomi, Todd Tadao Okita*, Lena Kageyama Omari*, Tommy Ouchida, Carl Somekawa, Aiko Sumoge*, Mabel Sadako Takashima*, Masao Tamiyasu*, Edward Ko Yada*, Mary Takao Yoshida, Jack Yoshihara, and Robert Yoshitomi. (*deceased, represented by family)

The video is about ten minutes, but worth the watch. You’ll see the honorees, current members of the Japanese American Student Association and several faculty and staff on the video. I wanted to get this up as quickly as possible, and I’ll add some interviews with students and speakers at the receptions as soon as I can edit them.

*Music: “Winding Road” by Bonnie Sommerville

–mko