Among the 560 graduates at Newport Harbor High School, there was one receiving his diploma whose journey stretched beyond the usual four years. He walked a little slower and had hair a little grayer than the rest.

Don Miyada, 89, missed his own graduation ceremony in 1942 after being forced into a Japanese internment camp at the start of World War II. Though an American citizen, he and 110,000 other citizens of Japanese descent were labeled as enemies of the country and sent to the camps across the country.

When students at Newport Harbor High School learned of Miyada’s story, they invited him to walk alongside them in their graduation ceremony Thursday.

After singing the national anthem and saying the Pledge of Allegiance, a crowd of parents, students and school officials cheered and clapped as Miyada walked across the stage.

After being drafted in the U.S. Army, Miyada went on to receive his bachelor’s and doctorate degrees in chemistry. He also was one of 15 individuals to be inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame. The school’s alumni association held a ceremony Thursday to honor those individuals.

Other inductees include former Newport Harbor and UC Irvine swim coach Albert Irwin, artist and alumnus George James, movie producer and director Frank Marshall and Olympian Misty May-Treanor.

Contact the writer: lsteussy@ocregister.com