North Carolina Man Gets To Celebrate High School Graduation After 50 Years
Nearly five decades after missing his original graduation, this past Saturday, Bishop Samuel Jones Jr. celebrated the belated milestone before a group of friends, family, and old classmates. According to MY FOX 8, back in 1976, Jones was kept from his graduation at Chocowinity High School in North Carolina due to falling just one point short of passing pre-algebra, a fact he didn’t learn until the day of the graduation. He studied up, retook the test, and passed, and although he did get his diploma, he missed out on the ceremony.
In an effort to give him “a sense of accomplishment and pride for him to finally be able to tell his story,” Jones’ wife Regina Jones arranged for her husband to finally get the recognition he missed out on. Now 66-years-old, Jones’ family made sure he got the full experience including the cap and gown, and importantly, the moment of turning the tassel.
In a touching speech before the small crowd, Jones admits it’s a moment he “never thought would happen,” and then jokingly adds, “I don’t like to cry because when you get tearful, you make ugly faces.” But it’s his wife who sums up the theme of the event perfectly, saying the ceremony was, “delayed, but not denied.”
