Upstate NY man, 97, gets his high school diploma 8 decades after dropping out, serving in WWII

Published January 13, 2015

It took nearly eight decades, but Frederick Gray is finally a high school graduate.

The Watertown Daily Times (http://bit.ly/11sOqdY ) reports that the 97-year-old World War II veteran was presented Monday with a diploma from Watertown High School during a ceremony at his northern New York home.

Gray was set to graduate in 1934 but dropped out a year early to get a job to help support his family during the Great Depression.

Gray worked in a factory before being drafted into the Army in 1942. He served in the 24th Infantry Division in the Pacific campaign, earning a Bronze Star.

After the war, he returned to his job and retired as head of the company's billing department.

Gray says he never expected to get a diploma and is "dumbfounded by the thoughtfulness."

URL

https://www.foxnews.com/us/upstate-ny-man-97-gets-his-high-school-diploma-8-decades-after-dropping-out-serving-in-wwii