A Diverse Campus I
Huskies Play First Basketball Game of the Season Here – January 19, 1945
During World War II, St. Cloud State enrolled six Japanese American students who were held in internment camps. At. St. Cloud State, these students were part of the campus community by participating in student clubs, events, and athletics.
January 19, 1945
Arriving in 1944, Azusa “Ozzie” Tsuneyoshi played on the men’s basketball team that year. In July 1946, Azusa married St. Cloud State classmate Haruko "Ruth" Matsushita.
Basketball team, 1944/45
After leaving St. Cloud State in 1943, Grayce Kaneda later became a leader in the Japanese American Citizens League’s campaign to secure an apology and reparations for former internees. That work culminated in the passage of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988.
Costume winners for the 75th anniversary of the establishment of St. Cloud State University including Haruko "Ruth" Matsushita, October 1944
The connection came full circle. In 2000, Japanese American and former internment camp resident Roy Saigo was appointed as St. Cloud State’s 21st president. He was the first person of color appointed as St. Cloud State president.
Masako Miyake diploma, March 1944
Miyake was one of the six Japanese Americans to attend St. Cloud State during World War II.