Meet the 93-year-old High School graduate

74 years after dropping out of school, Second World War veteran who fought on the battlefields of Europe graduates from high school


It's never too late, people would say.  Another saying is that there is always a way if there is the will.

These are the phrases that aptly describe Robert Lockard, 93, who officially finished secondary school in the class of 2018 at Circleville High in Ohio.



He was drafted and shipped to Europe when he turned 18. He served in the 89th Infantry Division in northern France and central Europe.

At the end of the war, he joined the National Guard and was retrained as a mechanic. He married, had three children and retired before he was invited back to school. A law passed in the state in 2006 allows war veterans who dropped out to return and receive honorary degrees.

Mr Lockard held back tears as he received his diploma. He said afterwards:
“It means everything to me, everything. All these years, man, I’ve thought about this.”