Click on the above image to read more about Mr. Sugimoto’s experiences
In January of 1945, sponsored by the school’s business and bookkeeping teacher, Earl Dobins, Sugimoto returned to the San Dieguito campus to finish his last semester of his senior year. Because of the tensions during World War II, the student body was asked to vote on whether to allow Sugimoto back on campus.
It was a unanimous vote: Sugimoto was welcomed back with open arms. Later that June for his class’ graduation commencement, when he walked onto the football field, he received a standing ovation. He said of his graduation day, “It was exhilarating. It was a dream come true.”
Read more here: Pearl Harbor sidetracked Japanese American from Encinitas, by Ken Harrison, published December 7, 2013.
