Monday, May 7, 2007 1:17 AM CDT
Never too late
Getting diploma 26 years later is Eastern grad’s gift to mom
By ROB STROUD, Staff Writer
CHARLESTON — Ron Walls gave his mom an early Mother’s Day gift on Saturday when he graduated from Eastern Illinois University after a hiatus of 26 years.
“That was a promise I made to my mom, and I try to keep my promises,” Walls said. He spoke by cell phone on Friday as he drove from his Atlanta home to Eastern for the commencement ceremony.
Walls, originally from Chicago, said he started attending Eastern in 1975. He said his finances and his interest in school waned after five years, so he left. He was originally scheduled to graduate in spring 1981.
“I decided to take a break, and unfortunately that break took longer than I thought it would,” Walls said.
The hiatus from school was good for him in many respects. Walls said he met and married his wife of 23 years, and they started a family. He has also built a career as a maintenance technician at Spelman College in Atlanta.
Nevertheless, Walls said he always felt like something was lacking in his life because he came so close to getting a degree, but did not have it. This ultimately led him to go back to school.
“As my life progressed, I would always fall back to the thought that I had not kept my word to my mother and presented her with that degree,” Walls wrote in a paper about his experience. “Finally, after paying back my student loans and paying my last semester tuition, I just knew I could give her that gift.”
Christie Roszkowski, an undergraduate coordinator and associated professor in Eastern’s School of Business, said Walls contacted the school last summer to discuss how he could complete his degree.
“We had to dig really far back to find his file, but we actually did have a paper file for him,” Roszkowski said.
Walls’ “infectious enthusiasm” motivated her and others in the School of Business to get creative to find ways for him to meet his goal, Roszkowski said.
To meet his graduation requirements, Walls took a real estate finance course at Clark Atlanta University that was transferable to Eastern and he took an independent study course through Eastern.
“I love the fact he is doing this for his mother, his wife and his children,” Roszkowski said.
Walls brought several family members with him to the commencement ceremony. He said it was especially important to him for his grandchild to see him graduate.
After graduation, Walls said he plans to continue working at Spelman College while purchasing real estate as an investment for his retirement. He his maintenance experience, coupled with his business degree, should help him fulfill this goal.
“I like real estate. I have found I have a real flair for it,” Walls said. “To me it seems like a natural fit.”
In the paper Walls wrote for class, he advised students to stay focused and not lose track of why they went to college in the first place.
“Remember it is never too late to learn, but wasting time is a crime. Stay focused and get it right the first time,” Walls wrote.
Contact Rob Stroud at rstroud@jg-tc.com or 348-5734.
Add your comments
Not already registered?
Then click Here.
Comment policy:
JG-TC.com encourages readers to engage in civil conversation with their neighbors. Comments that are submitted are not posted to the site immediately. They go into a queue to be moderated and may take several hours to be reviewed. Comments posted on Saturday may not be reviewed until Sunday afternoon.
In order to keep the page a set width, long lines (mostly long links) will be chopped. Try putting spaces in your links or consider using tinyurl.com to make a smaller link that you can include.
We will never edit or alter your comments, but we do reserve the right to remove comments that violate our code of conduct.
No comment may contain:
* Potentially libelous statements; such as accusing somebody of a crime, defamation of character, or statements that can harm somebody's reputation.
* Obscene, explicit, or racist language.
* Personal attacks, insults, threats, harassment or inciting violence.
* Commercial product promotions.
If you have any questions, please contact our moderator.
|
|
|
Fryer Spelman 84 wrote on May 7, 2007 10:12 AM: