Fred Taylor completed his degree requirements to graduate from Cornell College in Mount Vernon in 1943 — but his father had to pick up his diploma.
That's because Taylor had left for basic training with the Army Air Corps Reserve. He and several of his Cornell friends enlisted rather than being subject to the Army draft, which caused Taylor to miss the ceremony that would commemorate his time earning a degree in music education.
Taylor spent the next eight decades believing the milestone had passed him by, but his daughter Linda had other plans and surprised him by arranging for him to fly from his home in La Mesa, California back to his native state to finally walk across Cornell's graduation stage — 80 years later.
"It was poignant to me that he did all the work but never got to have that rite of passage," she explained.
Now 101, the veteran originally from Springville officially graduated with Cornell's class of 2023 on May 14. He was the first name called and led his fellow graduates in moving their tassels from one side of their caps to the other.
"It was very exhilarating," Taylor told IPR host Ben Kieffer on River to River.
As a child growing up in Linn County, Taylor loved music. He sang at celebrations and funerals and dreamt of becoming a music instructor. He started his study of music education in 1939.
His entry into WWII happened after Japan's bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941. By February of 1943 — his senior year — he left Cornell for basic training at Jefferson Barracks Military Post in Missouri. His time in the Army Air Corps Reserve predated the establishment of the U.S. Air Force as its own branch of the U.S. military.
Despite his time at war, Taylor's love for music remained. Today he is a proud — retired — music educator.
Taylor's visit to Iowa this spring included a special reception at Drake University where he received his Master's degree 70 years ago — a commencement he also missed.
Along the way, his trip included a number of stops to indulge in some of his favorite Iowa foods — Maid-Rites and pork tenderloins.
"That's kind of the holy grails of Iowa food when it's not sweet corn season, so that was high on dad's must-do list," Linda said.
Cornell College is a financial supporter of IPR.
