Kimiko Mukai receives her honorary degree from SPU President Philip Eaton on her 90th birthday.
For Kimiko Mukai’s 90th birthday, she received an honorary degree. Mukai, a Japanese American who was a sophmore at Seattle Pacific University (SPU) in 1942 (then called Seattle Pacific College), had to suddenly leave school due to an order issued by President Roosevelt. Her education was stopped due to Japanese American internment during WWII.
On April 18, SPU President Philip Eaton conferred an honorary Bachelor of Arts in Education degree to Mukai. Her family was there to proudly witness the event.
Eaton said the university has identified seven other Japanese American students forced to leave school because of the internment. The university hopes to rectify this error in history with the other families in the near future as well. ♦