It's never too late to go back and take care of unfinished business.
For more than 80 years, Merrill Pittman Cooper dreamed of getting the high school diploma he missed out on back in the 1930s. Now, at the ripe old age of 101, Cooper is finally a high school graduate.
Virtually everyone has a high school diploma in the 21st century. It's a big step and is generally required for anyone who wants to go on to college. But in past decades, graduating from high school wasn't quite as common.
He started going to high school way back in 1934 and continued his studies up until 1938. But in that year, his senior year, Cooper says he and his mother had to drop everything and move to Philadelphia for financial reasons.
Cooper went on to have a career that culminated in becoming vice president of a transportation union, but says he always regretted not going back to get his high school diploma.
A former high school in Harpers Ferry, Storer College was the alma mater for many Black people in the area from its inception in 1867 until it closed in 1955.
Looking very dapper for a man who's more than a century old, Cooper received his high school diploma. It was the culmination of four years of work by his relatives, who reached out to Jefferson County Schools in 2018 about getting a diploma.
Cooper's long-awaited graduation came about because of the tireless work of his loved ones, in conjunction with Jefferson County Schools, the West Virginia Department of Education, the Storer College National Alumni Association, and Harpers Ferry National Historical Park.
Even without his diploma, Cooper had been living a full life, with family and a good career. But getting his high school diploma took care of business that had gone unfinished for more than 80 years.
Many of us would just accept that we'd never get our diploma. But Cooper's story shows us that it's never too late to go back and fix things.
"Jefferson County Schools is committed to helping every student, young or old, fulfill their dreams," said a school superintendent in a statement. "For Mr. Cooper, that mean receiving a high school diploma. We are honored to help make that dream a reality."
