Man, 90, reaches graduate stage with grandson

It was a night more than 70 years in the making for one Edmonton
family as 90-year-old grandfather Walter Ross finally received his
high school diploma recently.

Ross was forced to drop out when he was 16 years old after his father
had a heart attack. After his dad passed away and the family store was
sold, Ross hired a tutor and took his Grade 12 supplementary
examinations. He failed his French examination and was denied his
diploma.

However, he never stopped learning - raising a family, serving in the
military and enjoying a lifelong career in insurance before deciding
once and for all to get that diploma.

But recently, Ross received the happy news that he was invited to
graduate with St. Francis Xavier High School's Class of 2014 alongside
his grandson.

Walter Ross, 90, was all smiles as he formally graduated from high
school in Edmonton as several family members supported him at the
special ceremony. Before the ceremony began, the 90-year-old -dressed
in a dapper suit - was tearful when talking about the decades it took
for him to arrive at this moment.

"I cry when I'm happy," he said, wiping his eyes.

It was an emotional day for Ross and his 10 family members - sons,
daughters and grandkids - who were on hand at the ceremony to support
him.

Ross said he felt nervous, excited, "all those things and more." He
couldn't pick one thing he was most excited for. "I think it's all
quite exciting," he said. "Just the whole deal."

Ross's granddaughter, Madeline Graham, said he is an inspiration to
her and her friends. Ross's granddaughter, Madeline Graham, said her
grandfather is an inspiration. 'He's such a strong man. A good man,'
she said.

"It's amazing, honestly. I never thought I would graduate a year
before my grandfather, but it's so cool that's he's doing this," she
said. "He's 90 and he's still taking initiative to do something like
this - he's always wanted to."

Ross has been listening to French lessons on CD to perfect that pesky
language that gave him a hard time when it came to his diploma. The
programme claims to make one fluent in 12 weeks. "We're going to give
it a whirl," said Ross.

source:globalnews.com