Michi Yasui Ando 1920-2006

Graduate of the University of Oregon

In the spring of 1942, shortly after finishing her final exams, University of Oregon senior Michi Yasui applied to attend graduation with her class. The commencement ceremony would begin at 8 p.m. on May 31 in McArthur Court. But the United States was at war with Japan, and under internment policies, Japanese American students were confined to their dorm rooms by a strict curfew.  

Dean of Personnel Administration Karl Onthank and other university administrators had petitioned the federal government on Yasui’s behalf, but the Wartime Civil Control Administration rejected their request: she was denied permission to attend her graduation ceremony.  

After a clandestine departure from Eugene, Yasui successfully reunited with her brother Shu in Denver. There she would earn her Master of Education and achieve her lifelong dream of becoming a teacher—but she had to wait 44 years before finally receiving her bachelor’s degree from the UO.  

In 1986, Yasui finally attended her commencement ceremony at Hayward Field. Her remarks prompted a standing ovation as local, national, and international TV cameras rolled. UO President Meredith Wilson would later remark,  

“What a beautiful way to be outshone.”