Alfonso Gonzales

LOS ANGELES (AP) –  It took more than 60 years but a University of Southern
California student has finally received his diploma.

Ninety-six-year-old Alfonso Gonzales received a bachelor of science degree in
zoology on Friday, making him the oldest graduate in USC history.

The World War II veteran thought he’d already graduated when he skipped commencement exercises in 1953 because of work obligations. He was
founding a soil company that he ran for 55 years.

But when relatives recently approached the university about getting a copy of
his diploma, they learned he was one unit short.

Although the school no longer offers a zoology major, it crafted an independent
study course through the gerontology school that included reading, video
assignments, visiting other classes, and writing a thesis about his life.

USC officials call Gonzales a "wonderful inspiration."

Gonzales while serving with the U.S. Navy in 1945.

Dressed in a cap and gown, Alfonzo Gonzales receives his diploma.

The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service
academy located in Annapolis, Maryland. Established in 1845 by Secretary of 
the Navy George Bancroft (below), It is the second-oldest of the five service
academies in the U.S. 

George Bancroft (1800-1891)