thedrifter
07-17-08, 07:10 AM
More than 60 years after leaving high school for World War II, New Lenox man finally 'graduates'
After leaving school for WW II, he's finally a Tilden High 'graduate'
By Lolly Bowean | Chicago Tribune reporter
July 17, 2008
It has been more than 60 years since Joseph Stack left Tilden High School in Chicago to join the Marines during World War II.
And though he worked hard for most of his life, raising six children and supporting his family, Stack would call himself a high school dropout.
But on Tuesday, at the age of 82, the New Lenox resident received his high school diploma at a modest ceremony hosted by his family. An open chapter of his life now is closed, he said.
"It symbolizes that I did something with my life," he joked. "I didn't dwell on being a dropout, but I like to finish what I started."
Stack is one of a small number of military veterans who are honored by the Chicago Public Schools system and awarded their diplomas if they had to leave school to serve the country. The awards are honorary and recognize the veterans' personal sacrifices, said Frank Shuftan, a CPS spokesman.
The diplomas are mailed to veterans who request them. Chicago was the first city in the state to develop such a program, and since 2002, CPS has given out 145 honorary diplomas to World War II veterans and about 50 diplomas to Korean War veterans, Shuftan said.
In March, Stack's youngest son, Larry, requested that the school board consider giving his father a diploma. Father and son were at his daughter's high school graduation when Stack expressed his desire to also be a high school graduate.
"He turned to me and said, 'I wish I would have gotten my paper,' " Larry Stack said. "I thought maybe it means more to him than we thought."
For the family, it was a chance to honor their patriarch and his achievements. "We're all proud of him," said his wife, Sylvia. "He's gone through a lot," she said, referring to her husband's recent bout with cancer and a subdural hematoma. "He was too busy raising a family to go get a GED."
Joseph Stack was in his senior year at Tilden in 1944, with three months to go, when he dropped out to join the Marines. He thought serving in the military was more important, he said. After training in San Diego and serving in World War II, he returned to Chicago, married his sweetheart and started a family.
Although he was promoted to well-paying positions while working at a gas utility for more than 40 years and was able to send his children to private schools, the fact that he didn't finish high school lingered in his mind, Stack said.
"I always said, 'When I get back, I'd go back to school,' " he said. "It became a joke in the family. I'd say, 'I did pretty good to be a dropout.' "
At the family's ceremony in Oak Lawn, Stack's children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren presented him with his diploma along with a celebratory cake, cards and gifts. In their cards, Stack's children wrote that he was deserving of the special diploma because of his life's experiences. "Don't ever call yourself a dropout again," one card said.
Seeing the diploma brought tears to Stack's eyes, he said. He's retired, so the achievement won't help him land a better job or push him up the career ladder, yet it means so much.
"I said, 'I'll go with my granddaughter to college and get a diploma there too,' " he said. "I said to my son, 'Where's my cap and gown?' "
lbowean@tribune.com
Ellie
After leaving school for WW II, he's finally a Tilden High 'graduate'
By Lolly Bowean | Chicago Tribune reporter
July 17, 2008
It has been more than 60 years since Joseph Stack left Tilden High School in Chicago to join the Marines during World War II.
And though he worked hard for most of his life, raising six children and supporting his family, Stack would call himself a high school dropout.
But on Tuesday, at the age of 82, the New Lenox resident received his high school diploma at a modest ceremony hosted by his family. An open chapter of his life now is closed, he said.
"It symbolizes that I did something with my life," he joked. "I didn't dwell on being a dropout, but I like to finish what I started."
Stack is one of a small number of military veterans who are honored by the Chicago Public Schools system and awarded their diplomas if they had to leave school to serve the country. The awards are honorary and recognize the veterans' personal sacrifices, said Frank Shuftan, a CPS spokesman.
The diplomas are mailed to veterans who request them. Chicago was the first city in the state to develop such a program, and since 2002, CPS has given out 145 honorary diplomas to World War II veterans and about 50 diplomas to Korean War veterans, Shuftan said.
In March, Stack's youngest son, Larry, requested that the school board consider giving his father a diploma. Father and son were at his daughter's high school graduation when Stack expressed his desire to also be a high school graduate.
"He turned to me and said, 'I wish I would have gotten my paper,' " Larry Stack said. "I thought maybe it means more to him than we thought."
For the family, it was a chance to honor their patriarch and his achievements. "We're all proud of him," said his wife, Sylvia. "He's gone through a lot," she said, referring to her husband's recent bout with cancer and a subdural hematoma. "He was too busy raising a family to go get a GED."
Joseph Stack was in his senior year at Tilden in 1944, with three months to go, when he dropped out to join the Marines. He thought serving in the military was more important, he said. After training in San Diego and serving in World War II, he returned to Chicago, married his sweetheart and started a family.
Although he was promoted to well-paying positions while working at a gas utility for more than 40 years and was able to send his children to private schools, the fact that he didn't finish high school lingered in his mind, Stack said.
"I always said, 'When I get back, I'd go back to school,' " he said. "It became a joke in the family. I'd say, 'I did pretty good to be a dropout.' "
At the family's ceremony in Oak Lawn, Stack's children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren presented him with his diploma along with a celebratory cake, cards and gifts. In their cards, Stack's children wrote that he was deserving of the special diploma because of his life's experiences. "Don't ever call yourself a dropout again," one card said.
Seeing the diploma brought tears to Stack's eyes, he said. He's retired, so the achievement won't help him land a better job or push him up the career ladder, yet it means so much.
"I said, 'I'll go with my granddaughter to college and get a diploma there too,' " he said. "I said to my son, 'Where's my cap and gown?' "
lbowean@tribune.com
Ellie