WOODSFIELD — A 99-year-old woman received her Woodsfield High School diploma — after dropping out of school 81 years ago — during a ceremony at Thursday’s Switzerland of Ohio Board of Education.

The school board presented Georgia McGarry, 99, her high school diploma after she quit following her junior year of high school in 1943. McGarry was set to graduate high school in 1944 but dropped out during World War II to join the workforce, where she worked at two pharmacies and other jobs for 42 years.

Instead of receiving a diploma for 2024, McGarry received a 1944 diploma because of a provision in the Ohio Revised Code about women who dropped out of school during the war to join the workforce, leaving McGarry in the Woodsfield High Class of 1944.

McGarry said one of her biggest regrets was dropping out of high school, so a friend of hers, Marie Adams, reached out to Switzerland of Ohio Schools Superintendent Phil Ackerman to fulfill McGarry’s dream.

“We couldn’t have done it without him,” Adams said.

Ackerman began the ceremony by telling the audience they were taking the evening back to May 19. 1944, and to pretend the Swiss Hills Career Center was Woodsfield High School.

“Tonight we’re going to turn the clock back a little bit,” he said.

After piano music from Paula Ring, Monroe Central High School Principal Casey Tolzda presented the diploma to McGarry as she happily accepted.

“It means a lot,” McGarry said, “and I hope I enjoy it for a while. I really do.”

The diploma is dated May 19. 1944, the date McGarry was set to graduate.

Ackerman said at that date, the most popular song was “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby, the average salary was $44 dollars a week, the average cost of a new home was $3,450 dollars, the cost of a loaf of bread was 10 cents and a gallon of gas 15 cents.

“So this really is a special opportunity for our board of education and our school district,” he said. “I know this is going to mean a lot to Georgia and her friends tonight.”

Adams told McGarry they were going out to dinner, and McGarry had no idea she was about to be presented with her dream of a high school diploma, making this evening a surprise to her.

McGarry said she didn’t know what was going on as she entered the room and kept asking Adams, “What’s going on?”

She said she didn’t feel not having a high school diploma affected her throughout her life, as she was able to obtain jobs, yet she still wished she had graduated.

Family and neighbors watched in excitement as McGarry received her diploma after 81 years, congratulating her as she also received a cap and gown to go along with the diploma. Tolzda said this is an example to anyone of the importance of getting your diploma and setting goals that regardless of your age, you can still reach. He noted how it’s an example to high school students now to set goals in their lives.

“This shows anybody that it’s never too late,” he said. “As I said, to set goals or to finish your degree or to reach your dreams, and for her to do that at 99 years old, shows any of us that it’s never too late to make a positive change or reach a goal in your life.”

Tolzda said McGarry is definitely deserving of this honor, because she played a part in America’s history, joining the workforce during the World War II era to help the economy.

“Today, as you know, we gather to celebrate a truly remarkable moment,” he said. “It’s not every day that we have a privilege of honoring a life lived with such grace, wisdom and unwavering dedication.”

He said McGarry reminds us the pursuit of knowledge does not know an age limit and the lesson she teaches is that learning is not confined to youth, but a journey to continue throughout people’s entire lives.

Tolzda also said the community had been talking about McGarry receiving her diploma, even though she didn’t know, and how neat it is that she’s doing this.

“You can just feel how much it means to the community,” he said. “And the pride the community has for it.”

McGarry still resides in Woodsfield, where she can now call herself a 1944 high school graduate.

“It means an awful lot,” she said.