Ted Sams: 78-Year-Old Man Finally Gets High School Diploma 6 Decades after Missing Exam Needed to Graduate

• Ted Sams can finally call himself a graduate after donning a cap and gown and receiving his diploma at Southern California's San Gabriel High School
• Back in 1962, when he was a high school senior, Sams got in trouble and was suspended five days before the end of the school year
• He said he missed a crucial final exam and had not paid a book fees but decided he had to make it up over the summer

A 78-year-old man from California in the United States of America (USA)has finally received his high school diploma 60 years after he was initially expected to graduate.

Ted Sams received his diploma on Friday, May 27, alongside members of the class of 2022 from San Gabriel High School.

Sams was a high school senior in 1962, but a string of speed bumps, including a $4.80(KSh 560) book fee, ultimately led him to leave school without a diploma in hand, Yahoo News reported.

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Speaking with the Star-News prior to the ceremony, Sams said he was both nervous and excited for his big day. Afterwards, he called it one of the best days of his life.

"When you get your picture taken and people are cheering for you, what do you expect? I didn't expect all of that, either, but what can I say?" he told the outlet.

Ted Sams walked out of high school

In 1962, Sams' trouble began when he was suspended just five days before the end of the school ear for, as he put it, "just screwing around."

The ordeal forced him to miss an important final exam, which he made up over the summer.

Later on, Sams was faced with another roadblock — the book fee — on his quest to graduate high school. That was the final straw.

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"When I went back with my grade, they wouldn't give me my diploma because I owed $4.80 for a book and so I just walked away and said forget it," he said.

Since then, Sams has regretted not walking at his high school graduation. But, it's a story he said he has shared with his children for quite some time.

Ted Sam's daughters attend graduation

Sams' daughters Sherry and Sally and their husbands attended Friday's ceremony after contacting the school about their father's diploma a few months prior, per the Star-News.

Sherry said everyone on stage hugged her father when he walked and got his diploma. He then received a round of applause from the graduating class.

"They knew he was there from 1962 and they knew his story because the principal had talked about it," Sherry said.

"So both I and my sister got teary because kind of the whole stadium came to a standstill," she added.

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The Alhambra Unified School District celebrated Sams' achievement on Facebook in the days following the ceremony, calling him "an unofficial member" of SGHS class of 2022.

Man Graduates with Master's Degree at 71

In a related story, YEN.com.gh reported at age 71, Leroy Harley recently made headlines after graduating from the University of South Carolina with his postgraduate degree in teaching.

The native of Bowman, South Carolina, took action to embark on a new path toward his passion for education at age 69. And his hard work has paid off.

He took his mum's advice to seek a teaching opportunity at the Bethune-Bowman Elementary School.

Source: YEN.com.gh