96-Year-Old WWII Vet Gets Degree Nearly 7 Decades After Last Class
TOLEDO, Ohio (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — A World War II veteran who flew planes for the Navy received his college degree to a standing ovation 68 years after he took his last class.
Ninety-six-year-old Bob Barger was honored Saturday at the University of Toledo's commencement ceremony, where he received an associate's degree. Toledo CBS affiliate WTOL reports he is believed to be the oldest graduate in the history of the school.
A review of his transcripts from the late 1940s shows he completed enough classes to qualify for the degree, which wasn't offered when he was in school.
Haraz Ghanbari, director of military and veterans affairs at the school, told WTOL, "We had to pull his transcripts from archives. Took awhile to do that. We didn't have an associates degree but recently the university college added that... So Bob earned enough credits way back when to qualify to graduate."
Barger came home to Toledo after World War II and started taking college classes. But he never finished his degree because he was busy with a job and raising a family.
He says getting the degree reminds him of all the friends and family who've been a part of his life.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)