During World War II, ten students were forced to leave Willamette University in Salem.  All of them were American citizens who were complying with Executive Order 9066.  That order, signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, mandated that all individuals of Japanese descent leave the West Coast for concentration camps on American soil.  Forty-six years later, in 1988, the United States government apologized for incarcerating Japanese Americans, calling the act a “grave injustice.” 

 On February 19, 2008, Willamette University honored those ten students at its Day of Remembrance.  One year later the Student Senate passed a resolution to install an on-campus memorial. This year the university will recognize those Nisei (Japanese Americans) with a permanent commemoration in the middle of campus.  Under a flowering cherry tree along the Mill Creek in front of the Mark O. Hatfield Library, a bench, stone, and plaque will be dedicated.  Among the ten names listed on the plaque will be Reiko Azumano, late sister of George Azumano of Portland, and Hideto Tomita, late husband of Sue Tomita of Tigard.

 The public dedication will take place at the university’s Jackson Plaza on Friday, April 1, 2011 at 1:30 PM, led by President M. Lee Pelton.  Special participants will include United Methodist Church Bishop Robert Hoshibata and Dean Nakanishi, former student and now Seattle-area teacher whose research project documented the story of the ten students.

Following the dedication, a concert at Hudson Hall will feature former Oregon poet-laureate Lawson Inada and the Minidoka Swing Band, including vocalists Hank Sakamoto and Nola Bogle.  The public is invited to participate in these events.