FRESNO — Washington Union, a rural high school district at the southwest border of the Fresno city limits, will be giving honorary high school diplomas to Nisei internees who would have graduated in 1942 to 1945.
The ceremony will be held at the regular graduation on Friday, June 6, starting at 7 p.m.
The school is looking for contact information for the following graduates or their relatives:
Class of ’42: Hisaye Kanegawa, Mari Kimura, Marie Matsumoto, Haruye, Kiyoshi, & Shizuko Muroi, Sanai Watarida
Class of ’43: H. Hayashi (male), M. Hayashi (female), K. Hirasuna (female), K. Nagai (male), Katsuko Okimoto, B. Outa (male), Roy Sato, E. Takahashi (female)
Class of ’44: Tom Nakayama
Class of ’45: T. Kumasaki (female), Mits Matsumoto, Aiko Outa
Organizers have identified 50 Nisei enrolled at the school in 1942 and contacted 31 of them or their relatives.
If the graduate has passed away or is unable to attend, the family is encouraged to send a relative to receive the diploma for him/her. The school needs a head count because it is ordering caps and gowns for the attendees.
Anyone with information on the 19 Nisei graduates is asked to contact Jean Yamamoto at (559) 260-7516 or jnenyo@hotmail.com.
(Photo by Randy Vaughn-Dotta/CSU Fresno)