'Tonight's the night': Veteran gets high school diploma nearly 5 decades later
A Northern Kentucky veteran got his high school diploma that he waited almost five decades for Friday evening.
Rick Hopple never thought this moment would happen.
"It's been 47 years but tonight's the night," Hopple said.
In 1974, Hopple was a senior at Boone County High School but times were tough and he needed to help support his family.
With only half a credit away from graduating, Hopple enlisted in the Air Force.
He served, came home and became a firefighter. But he always regretted not getting his diploma.
"This is the first time that I'm aware of in the Boone County school system that this has been done. The General Assembly in Kentucky a few years ago that passed a bill that allowed military veterans who did not receive their diploma due to military service to use that service as commendatory service for a diploma," said Tim Schlotman, principal of Boone County High School.
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Schlotman and his team wanted to make Friday as special as possible for Hopple.
"We were able to determine the graduation night in 1974 so we put that date on his diploma," Schlotman said.
Finally, 47 years later, Hopple got to walk across the stage and only one thing would have made this even sweeter.
"I just kind of wish my mom would have been able to see this," Hopple said.