A man who had to leave college to serve in World War II finally walked into his graduation ceremony after 80 years.
Fred Taylor, a remarkable 101-year-old, finally had the opportunity to participate in his graduation ceremony, a momentous occasion that was 80 years in the making.
Back in his younger days, Taylor had earned his music degree, but circumstances prevented him from attending his graduation ceremony.
He had left school to serve in the United States Army during World War II.
After all these years, Taylor was able to experience the fulfilment of that long-awaited milestone as he walked across the stage to receive his well-deserved recognition.
Reflecting on the significance of the ceremony, Taylor expressed that it was a moment of closure, completing a chapter in his life that had been left unfinished for decades.
"Well, it really ties the ribbon on it and makes me feel like now, now it's complete," Mr Taylor told KCRG.
Fred Taylor's path had diverged from his classmates in the class of 1943, as he was one of the 13 students selected for military service.
He said: "That really felt like an 'incomplete' when I had to leave Cornell College in February of my senior year."
For a long time, he had not given much thought to the idea of attending the upcoming graduation ceremony.
That changed when his daughter reached out to the school on his behalf, inquiring whether there was any possibility of making his participation in the ceremony a reality.
Cornell College President, Jonathan Brand, said: "She asked very gently and not presumptuously, could he come back and could he participate."
"He's an emblem of what we try to accomplish and what we hope to see in all of our students and graduates.
"He has, for his entire life, really been focused on supporting and helping others."
When Mr Taylor learned about his upcoming trip, he was taken by surprise and filled with excitement.
"Of course, that's where I met the love of my life, Peggy Newberg," reminisced Mr Taylor.
He said: “I was assigned to the same table in Bowman Hall as Peggy, so that’s where we met and the rest is history as they say.”
Prior to the ceremony, he said: "This will just be a feeling of completing my education."
Peggy travelled to Colorado during Fred’s training and they were married - marking the beginning of 75 and a half years of marriage.
“Cornell shaped the rest of my life, actually,” Fred said.
“For my work and occupation and then meeting Peggy there. I married her and of course, that shaped the rest of my life. The college was extremely important to me.”
Fred ended his service in the fall of 1945.
He got his master’s degree in music education from Drake University and became a long-time music teacher, first in Iowa and then in California where he retired.
