logo
107-year-old man finally receives high school diploma

107-year-old man finally receives high school diploma

Yahoo19-05-2025
SAC COUNTY, Iowa — 107-year-old Orville Von Ehwegen received a high school diploma Sunday at East Sac County High School's Graduation ceremony.
Ehwegen, who was born August 21st, 1917, dropped out of school at age 14 to help his father on the farm during the Great Depression.
Ehwegen enlisted in the Army and fought in the South Pacific during World War ll from 1942 to 1945. When Ehwegen was honorably discharged, he thought he would never get his diploma.
'I figured that was all gone away. That would never happen,' Ehwegen said.
Steve Irwin, a longtime friend of Ehwegen, talked to Sac County High School about Ehwegen getting a diploma.
Cancer Warrior Truck revs up for Blank Children's Hospital
'One thing led to another, and the school agreed to do an honorary diploma. So, I called back and, and asked him if he thought that would be a good idea. And he kind of hit him hard for about a half a second and said, sure, that sounds like a really good idea,' Irwin said.
Mark Gray, another longtime friend of Ehwegen, said that he was happy to see Ehwegen receive a diploma.
'Hope the children or the young adults who graduated today really absorb what took place with him and maybe come back to the library and read his autobiography and understand the sacrifice that kids made and parents made during the Depression and World War ll. It's really amazing. And it's great that we have someone still here today that can tell the story,' Gray said.
Ehwegen was happy to graduate alongside the class of 2025.
'It's a wonderful thing to graduate. It's a good one of a thing to learn and be able to do things. And you don't have to go through, you might say, a school of hard knocks.' Ehwegen said.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Last Soldiers of an Imperial Army Have a Warning for Young Generations
Last Soldiers of an Imperial Army Have a Warning for Young Generations

New York Times

time35 minutes ago

  • New York Times

Last Soldiers of an Imperial Army Have a Warning for Young Generations

Kunshiro Kiyozumi is a small man with gray hair and a stooped back who lives alone and still pedals his bicycle to the supermarket. At 97, he cuts an unprepossessing figure to the younger shoppers busy texting while filling their carts, unaware his life contains a dramatic story shaped by history's deadliest war. At age 15, Mr. Kiyozumi became the youngest sailor aboard the I-58, an attack submarine of the Imperial Japanese Navy. In the closing days of World War II, it prowled the Pacific Ocean, torpedoing six Allied ships, including the heavy cruiser U.S.S. Indianapolis, which it sank. He served in a military that committed atrocities in a march across Asia, as Japan fought in a brutal global conflict that was brought to an end with the atomic bombings of two of its cities. All told, World War II killed at least 60 million people worldwide. But the living veterans like Mr. Kiyozumi were not the admirals or generals who directed Japan's imperial plans. They were young sailors and foot soldiers in a war that was not of their making. Most were still in their midteens when they were sent to far-flung battlefields from India to the South Pacific, where some were abandoned in jungles to starve or left bearing dark secrets when the empire fell. After Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, 1945, they returned to a defeated nation that showed little interest in their sacrifices, eager to put aside both painful memories and uncomfortable questions about its wartime aggression. Mr. Kiyozumi lived a quiet life, working at a utility company installing the electrical wires that helped power Japan's reconstruction. Over time, his former crewmates died, but he rarely spoke about his wartime experiences. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.

Iowa Lottery Pick 3 Midday, Pick 3 Evening results for July 27, 2025
Iowa Lottery Pick 3 Midday, Pick 3 Evening results for July 27, 2025

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Iowa Lottery Pick 3 Midday, Pick 3 Evening results for July 27, 2025

The Iowa Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big with rewards ranging from $1,000 to millions. The most an Iowan has ever won from playing the lottery was $343 million in 2018 off the Powerball. Don't miss out on the winnings. Here's a look at Sunday, July 27, 2025, winning numbers for each game: Winning Pick-3 numbers from July 27 drawing Midday: 5-3-6 Evening: 8-5-5 Check Pick-3 payouts and previous drawings here. Winning Pick-4 numbers from July 27 drawing Midday: 5-2-0-9 Evening: 8-8-0-8 Check Pick-4 payouts and previous drawings here. Winning Lucky For Life numbers from July 27 drawing 04-06-09-25-47, Lucky Ball: 04 Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here. Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results When are the Iowa Lottery drawings held? Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. Mega Millions: 10:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday. Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily. Pick 3 (Day): 12:20 p.m. CT daily. Pick 3 (Evening): 10:00 p.m. CT daily. Pick 4 (Day): 12:20 p.m. CT daily. Pick 4 (Evening): 10:00 p.m. CT daily. Winning lottery numbers are sponsored by Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network. Where can you buy lottery tickets? Tickets can be purchased in person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets. You can also order tickets online through Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network, in these U.S. states and territories: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Washington D.C., and West Virginia. The Jackpocket app allows you to pick your lottery game and numbers, place your order, see your ticket and collect your winnings all using your phone or home computer. Jackpocket is the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network. Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services. GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER, Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). 18+ (19+ in NE, 21+ in AZ). Physically present where Jackpocket operates. Jackpocket is not affiliated with any State Lottery. Eligibility Restrictions apply. Void where prohibited. Terms: This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Iowa editor. You can send feedback using this form. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa Lottery Pick 3 Midday, Pick 3 Evening results for July 27, 2025 Solve the daily Crossword

‘Ahead of his time': Loved ones remember G. Holmes Braddock and his legacy
‘Ahead of his time': Loved ones remember G. Holmes Braddock and his legacy

Miami Herald

time6 hours ago

  • Miami Herald

‘Ahead of his time': Loved ones remember G. Holmes Braddock and his legacy

Garrett Holmes Braddock remembers being both exhilarated and bored when he, as a 7-year-old child, attended University of Miami football games with his grandfather, G. Holmes Braddock. Garrett said he found the games partly boring because he couldn't see well from the stands as a young boy. But he found them exhilarating because he witnessed his grandfather's passion for the Hurricanes. Addressing dozens of mourners from the church's pulpit, Garrett wriggled his body as he shouted UM's 'C-A-N-E-S' chant, which echoed inside the church. 'Growing up in Miami, it was like being related to a superstar,' Braddock's grandson quipped, referencing Braddock's public service. '...His name and his love will always live on in all of our hearts and our memories.' On Sunday afternoon, loved ones and community members honored the life and legacy of Braddock at the church he attended for decades, Kendall United Methodist Church, 7600 SW 104th St. Braddock served on the Miami-Dade County School Board for 38 years and was well-known for his involvement at his alma mater — UM — and for his support of the university's sports programs. READ MORE: 'He shaped the futures of millions of students.' G. Holmes Braddock dies at 100 Braddock died Thursday, just one day after turning 100 years old. During his decades-long tenure on the school board, Braddock championed desegregation efforts, bilingual education in schools and collective bargaining for public school employees. In 1989, the School Board named a high school after him, G. Holmes Braddock Senior High, 3601 SW 147th Ave. He called the designation a career highlight. 'It would have to be having a senior high school named for me. I never expected it,' Braddock told the Herald in 2000. Braddock enrolled at UM in 1946, after serving aboard a medic ship during World War II. He was heavily involved at the university, serving as an assistant to the director of admissions, and held season tickets to Canes football and baseball games since 1946. In 2024, Braddock became one of 11 recipients of UM's President's Distinguished Service Award from UMiami's Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. While beginning the service, the Rev. Ruben Velasco quipped that they were starting 'right on time because that's exactly what [Braddock] would have wanted.' Braddock, Velasco said, planned the service with him, from the quoted scripture to the hymns. 'Like many of you, I am a product of the Miami-Dade County public school system, since kindergarten all the way to high school,' he said. 'And without knowing it, Holmes Braddock has been a major influence in my educational life...' But Velasco said Braddock, too, impacted his life on a personal level. He shared anecdotes of his lunches with Braddock at Chuck Wagon, where the pair talked about sports, public service and faith. Braddock, the reverend said, 'lived out what it means to be a Christian.' 'I am so certain that on the day he... passed away and he went up to be with the Lord, he heard 'Well done, good and faithful servant. Welcome home. I understand you have some questions. Let's talk,'' Velasco said. Turning to the crowd, Braddock's son George Braddock recounted the story of Braddock's life from the beginning. Braddock was raised by a single mother, a school teacher, during the Great Depression. Braddock dedicated his life's work to education. His leadership, most notably in desegregation and bilingual instruction, brought Braddock admirers but also enemies, George said. 'Wow, was he ahead of his time,' he said. Braddock's daughter Rebecca Nimmer, 72, told the Miami Herald she recalled how she and her brothers Bob, George and Jim, would travel across the continuous U.S. in their father's station wagon as he worked as an insurance salesman. One of her most notable memories, she said, was witnessing the horrors of segregation while traveling in the South. 'I didn't realize how much that affected me as a human,' Nimmer said, adding that her father is the reason she values travel and learning about different cultures. Braddock, she said, used his life experiences to serve others. 'Everyone he touched, he left an imprint,' Nimmer said. Daniel Armstrong, 69, grew close with Braddock over the last 35 years during their Sunday morning hangouts at church. Armstrong said their decades-long friendship blossomed over the pair's shared love for ties. Armstrong said he and Braddock would wear different ties and share the stories of how they obtained them. At Christmas time, they held a friendly competition over who had the best holiday-themed tie. Braddock, Armstrong said, was not only a pillar in the community — but at the church. 'He was a gentle, very strong, but a very gentle person,' Armstrong said. 'Compassionate, and very humble.' Braddock's funeral ended with military honors. Uniformed service members folded the American flag that was draped over his casket. They handed the flag to his widow, Virginia 'Ginny' Braddock, as tears streamed down her face. Some of Braddock's eight grandchildren escorted his casket out of the church, as an ode to UM — the university's fight song — played. Braddock was a lifelong supporter of Hurricane athletics, said John Routh and Mark Drobiarz, of the UM Hall of Fame. 'Even in the heat on Sunday, he would go,' Drobiarz told the Herald. 'I'd ask, 'How can you take this?' He would say, 'It's baseball.'' 'He was an icon,' Routh said.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store