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NBHS Graduates one more – a little late...

Former New Buffalo student Joseph Patrick Tyron waited 44 years to receive something that too many of us take for granted – a High School Diploma.

Joe put in his 13 years at New Buffalo just like his other classmates, but in the spring of his senior year, he was injured during a freak accident in wood shop class. Unfortunately, the eight-day hospital stay and six-week recovery period that followed put him too far behind in his studies to graduate with his class.

Faced with making up time the following year, Joe opted to move on in his life. Picture the Fifties. Fast cars, rock-n-roll, a carefree spirit in the country. Spend another year in school?? Joe figured it was a no brainer. He joined the Air Force. He served eight years active duty, including two tours in Vietnam. While in the Air Force, he earned his GED.

Joe Tyron (center) receives NBHS Diploma from Principal Ron Hart (left) and New Buffalo School Board President Arthur Lamport (right).

Not having a diploma didn't stop Joe. In fact it hasn't stopped a lot of people. More than 860,000 adults worldwide take the GED Tests each year and those who obtain scores high enough to earn a GED credential outperform at least 40 percent of today’s high school seniors. Other GED graduates include: comedian Bill Cosby, actor Christian Slater, Delaware’s Governor Ruth Ann Minner, and U.S. Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell of Colorado.

Despite his achievements in life, Joe was still missing something. He spent 13 years in the New Buffalo School System and didn't have a diploma. As Joe put it, "I was a member of the class [of '59], but never a graduate."

Joe had submitted the appropriate paperwork to have a Diploma granted based on passing the GED Tests years ago, but the "sheepskin" never materialized.

Attending, the All School Reunion in 2000 and running into former classmates prompted Joe to try again. This time with the help of classmate Linda Lipsomb Lowe. They challenged the system through New Buffalo Area Schools Superintendent Michael Lindley and High School Principal Ron Hart.

September 2003 rolls around and after more than a year of rangling, approvals were granted and a ceremony was arranged.

Joe, in the company of some classmates that have been by his side since kindergarten, was awareded a long overdue NBHS Diploma. Sheepskin in hand, Joe remarked, "I'll be able to claim a legal seat as a member of the class of 1959, now I'm officially a member."

Fellow classmates of '59 on hand for the ceremony: (first row) Joseph Patrick Tyron, Ed Kliss, Fred Krycka, and Diane Russ Carpenter. (back row) Linda Kruger Galloro, Larry McGinnis, Linda Lipscomb Lowe, and Diane Skalecki Wilkey.