A 99-year-old Ohio woman who dropped out of high school during World War II experienced a life-fulfilling surprise when she received her diploma during a special ceremony last week.
Georgia McGarry was heading out to dinner with friends Thursday when she walked into the Switzerland of Ohio Local School District building to receive an award 80 years after it was meant to be given to her.
“That means a lot because that was a long time ago, 1944,” McGarry said. He told WTOV.
McGarry dropped out of high school in her senior year in 1943 because her family needed her to work overseas as World War II raged. She worked in a pharmacy and then as a cleaner with her husband, but she always dreamed of graduating from high school.
Her friend, Marie Adams, knew about the goal and reached out to the school district for help.
“This is something she's wanted her whole life and I thought it was important for her, being 99 years old, to get her diploma,” Adams told the station.
Adams told McGarry that the two had planned to go out to dinner last Thursday, but instead ended up going into the school building and began to wonder what was going on. The Times Leader reported.
On the day she was meant to celebrate this milestone, loved ones and friends were on hand when Superintendent Phil Ackerman presented her with her diploma from Woodsfield High School, dated May 19, 1944. During the special ceremony, McCurley also received her cap and gown.
She received her diploma for 1944 instead of 2024 because of a provision in Ohio's Revised Code that allows an exception for women who dropped out of high school to get a job during wartime, the newspaper said.
“This shows everyone that it's never too late,” Ackerman told the news outlet.
“Like I said, setting goals, getting a degree, achieving your dreams, and the fact that she managed to do it at age 99 shows all of us that it's never too late to make positive changes and achieve your goals in life.”
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McCarley, who turns 100 in a few months and still lives in Woodsfield, said the long-awaited achievement means a lot to him.
“And I hope I can have some fun for a while,” she was quoted as saying. “I really do.”
