Maine woman, 99, gets college degree 75 years late over $5 fee
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}This image, provided by FoxBangor.com, shows 99-year-old Jessie White.
A 99-year-old Maine woman has graduated from college 75 years after a $5 fee kept her from getting her diploma on time.
Beal College in Bangor awarded Jessie White her degree during a special ceremony on Friday hosted by Alan Stehle, the college's president.
White says the special ceremony was wonderful and a lot of fun.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}White was supposed to graduate in 1939, but couldn't afford the $5 transcript fee.
A friend who recently learned of her decades-old predicament called Stehle, who paid her balance and set up the ceremony.
White, a Maine native, received her degree in stenography and bookkeeping.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}White suffered a disability from a polio infection, but she persisted until she landed a job and worked for years as a bookkeeper.
"It took me years to get a job because they wouldn't hire me because I was on crutches," White told Fox Bangor.
Stehle described White's story as one of "perseverance," according to the station.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}White said finally getting her degree made her feel "great."
"Never give up learning. They say when you give up learning you grow old," she told the station. "So I don't intend to give up learning."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.