Photo Credit: People of Japanese descent, relocated from the Seattle area, unload their belongings as they arrive at the Washington state fairgrounds in Puyallup in April 1942. It was used as a temporary assembly center until internees could be taken to other camps. (PAUL WAGNER/AP) Source: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/japanese-american-internment-75-years-ago/
by Tracy (Case) Arnold ’82
Recently, during a conversation with Lorraine Kuniyuki, a member of the CHS Class of 1979, I learned that her mother, Elsie (Yamashita) Kuniyuki, was “almost a 1942 Cleveland graduate.” Unfortunately, many students during World War II faced circumstances that prevented them from graduating. Some had to leave school to work or join the military, while tragically, many were forced from their homes, businesses, and schools and sent to internment camps.
This conversation made me reflect on the Japanese American students who did not have the opportunity to graduate from Cleveland High School yet who will forever remain our fellow alumni. We must honor and remember them.
We are seeking assistance to identify and document the stories of the Japanese American students who attended CHS before being sent to internment camps and were unable to graduate alongside their classmates. According to the 1941 and 1942 yearbooks, at least 34 Japanese American students attended CHS during those years. We are still collecting data for the years 1943 through 1946.
We are reaching out to CHS staff for potential assistance on this project, possibly similar to the initiative where students helped research the CHS Honored Dead (alumni who died while serving our country in World War II). Principal Lam and Lisa Nakamura, a Class of 1985 alumna and CHS Booster Chair, are supportive as we explore ways to properly recognize our Japanese American CHS alumni.
Lorraine also mentioned that one of her mother’s 1942 classmates, Mitsuye (Yasutake) Yamada, is a poet who has published several books and poems on the wartime incarceration of Japanese Americans and her experience. You can learn more about her work on her website: [Mitsuye Yamada] (https://www.mitsuyeyamada.com/). The CHS Alumni Association plans to purchase her books for the CHS library and will feature an article about her in an upcoming newsletter.
Additionally, I recently had the pleasure of meeting Janice Kunitsugu, a Class of 1966 alumna, at the Remembrance Gallery during the Puyallup Fair (Washington State Fair). The Puyallup Valley Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) has done a commendable job with the Remembrance Gallery, which raises awareness about the “Puyallup Assembly Center” (PAC), the largest temporary American concentration camp in Washington State. If you haven’t visited yet, I encourage you to explore their website [Puyallup Valley JACL] (http://www.puyallupvalleyjacl.org) to schedule a tour.
If you would like to help with researching or have names and information about former CHS Japanese American students who were unable to graduate during World War II, please contact us at president@clevelandalumsea.org.
Stay tuned for more information in our 2025 CHS Alumni Association newsletters!
