ATHENA — Just over 50 years after he would have graduated from high school, Reed McCracken stood in front of Weston-McEwen High School in Athena on Tuesday, Aug. 25, and finally received his diploma to the cheers and applause of several family members.

In the fall of 1969, McCracken left Athena to join the Marines in lieu of his final year of high school. While McCracken says that it was the best decision he ever made, he never received a high school diploma or GED.

“It’s pretty impressive after 50 years,” McCracken said. “I wish I’d finished it then, but at the same time I made the right decision.”

McCracken said he was starting to form some bad work habits in high school and decided to join the Marines to help straighten himself out.

“I got to work with some really good people while I was in there and had really good leadership,” he said.

McCracken said he was next in line for orders to go to Vietnam, but had nine sets of orders turned down because his commanding officers didn’t have enough personnel stateside. McCracken went on to serve in Marine disciplinary command at the Portsmouth Naval Prison in New Hampshire for several years.

Following his enlisted service, McCracken served in the National Guard until 1981, racking up 11 years of service between reserve and enlisted time.

Since his time in the military, McCracken has been driving trucks both locally and nationally and said he has racked up more than 5 million miles traveling the country around the lower 48 states. While he has since tried to retire a few times, McCracken said it’s hard to stay retired.

“I was retired for a bit, but I’ll go back,” said McCracken. “I’ve been a workaholic all my life and it’s hard to sit still.”

McCracken’s diploma was issued under ORS 332.114, which allows for select veterans who were honorably discharged and enrolled in a high school prior to their service to receive a high school diploma.

Weston-McEwen Principal Rob Shell presided over the unorthodox graduation ceremony in full academic regalia, pausing at the end to lend his own gown to McCracken so he could enjoy the full graduation experience.

“I really enjoy when I can give back to my fellow veterans and community members,” he said.

Shell said he was pleased to have been able to provide McCracken with his diploma all these years later. He said the initial plan was to present the diploma during the class’ 50-year reunion during a track meet back in May but COVID-19 threw that plan out the window.

“I wanted to do it earlier and I could’ve mailed it to him,” he said. “But I couldn’t, as a veteran, mail another veteran their diploma.”

Among the small group of attendees was Sen. Bill Hansell, R-Athena, who attended the ceremony to represent his sister, Kathi Hansell Hendrix, who had been pivotal in pursuing a diploma for McCracken.

Hendrix, a classmate of McCracken’s, knew of the statute allowing for the administration of degrees to veterans as a result of Hansell’s work, and began pursuing the idea that McCracken deserved a diploma after a conversation with him at a class reunion two or three years ago.

“It has always felt like he graduated with us,” she said.

After debating the issue for a while, Hendrix sent a letter to the Athena-Weston School District last fall to request a diploma be issued to McCracken.

“The experiences he had in the military were more real life than what most high school seniors go through,” she said.

Hendrix, who spent more than 30 years as an instructor and administrator for a career and technical education program, said she recognized his work, as with that of many others, was equally as educational and beneficial as school programs.

“I completely believe that life experience plays into education,” said Hendrix. “His career and service was an education, and that needs to be recognized.”

Despite his excitement over receiving his diploma, McCracken looks back fondly over his years of service and his time as an honorary member of the Class of 1970 and acknowledges that, given the opportunity, he wouldn’t change anything.

“If I had it to do over again I’d probably go do the same thing,” he said. “They really straightened me out.”