An 80-year-old retired business owner from Anchorage, Alaska, was always haunted by a red stamp on his 1961 high school diploma: “This student met minimum state requirements.” Having toiled to make ends meet, he felt the stamp was unfair.
However, with Billy Ray Macon Sr.’s family being aware of this stain on his past, they organized a big surprise; the great-grandfather was invited to West Anchorage High School on Jan. 28, his 80th birthday, for a “one man, one-day” graduation.
“This all began with my granddaughter,” Macon Sr. told The Epoch Times. “She went through the school department and they gave her permission ... they brought in the cheerleaders, the choir, the principal; everybody was there, and it really made me feel warm inside.
“sixty-one years later, they hit me with this surprise ... it was unbelievable. There is justice out there, believe it or not!”
“I was about 10 years old when I first recall grandpa sharing his diploma with me,” wrote Timpson. “He had it in a drawer of treasures that I was going through. I brought the booklet over to my grandpa and asked what it was, and immediately saw the shame overtake his spirit.
“That stamp, to grandpa, meant that he was a failure. That stamp, to grandpa, meant that his sacrifice was in vain,” she explained.
Timpson’s post reached West Anchorage High School principal Sven Gustafson. Rather than simply hand over a new diploma, Gustafson pulled out all the stops with a ceremony, yearbook, cap and gown, and other school memorabilia.
Macon Sr. was 19 when he graduated from high school. Already married to his high school sweetheart, Lourdes, with one child and another on the way, he walked over an hour to school every morning, then walked another six miles to work on an Air Force base until late, before returning to his shack with no running water or electricity to complete his homework under candlelight. He repeated the same routine every year around, despite the freezing temperatures.
Additionally, his work as a busboy would throw him into the midnight hours. Yet he always asked the dishwashers and janitors if he could help after hours for a little extra cash.
Life was never easy for Macon Sr., as there were different hurdles to cross at each point.
“I promised myself I'd never walk another mile,” he told The Epoch Times. “I bought a car for $50, went to pick it up, and then broke down. I was walking again ... very seldom did we have money to buy new.”
Most of the teachers weren’t aware of his struggle. However, there was one teacher who did see what he was going through, and would check in with him using a “special code.”
Despite having his own family, Macon Sr., who was the oldest of ten kids to his parents, continued to support and care for his siblings, becoming somewhat of a parental figure to them.
Thus when he got that stamp on his diploma, he was really hurt.
“‘They dismissed all my hard work…’” Timpson shared of her grandfather’s words. ”I would often hear as he trailed off in thought with a tear in his eye.
“That stamp, to grandpa, meant that he wasn’t worthy.”
Thus six decades later, his long-overdue high school graduation and new diploma were a symbol of justice to the entire family.
“It moved us to tears,” said his son, 62-year-old Billy Macon Jr. “How can you not succeed and continue to be determined when you listen to his story? He overcame. He and my mother are models for all of us.”
Macon Sr. says that, while life is tough, he believes that the key is never to give up.
“I can do it; I know you can do it. Anybody can do it,” he said.
Having seen her husband work hard through the course of his life, Lourdes stated: “Nothing stands in his way, and if it’s in his way, he finds a way to go round it.”
Macon Sr.’s sister-in-law Florentina Campos echoed similar sentiments.
“I see greatness in his children that stems right from his passion, from his heart, and from his motivation to achieve,” she told The Epoch Times. “They look at him as an example, walking all that time to print money for his family, and yet his focus was to continue school and get his graduation; and he did.”
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