(PHOTO PROVIDED / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
AN ACHIEVEMENT DEFERRED … Korean War veteran William Krauss poses for a photo with Pike-Delta-York Local School District Superintendent Jon Burke after being presented with his high school diploma. Krauss left school before graduating to serve in the war.
By: Jesse Davis
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jesse@thevillagereporter.com
Korean War veteran and former Delta High School student William Krauss was recently honored by both the Delta American Legion and the Pike-Delta-York Local School District when he was presented with the one thing he never received – his high school diploma.
The now 92-year-old Krauss attended the school from 1946 to 1948 before leaving early to serve in the U.S. Army.
His story was brought to the attention of Superintendent Jon Burke during a Delta Village Council meeting when legion member Rodger Ward approached him.
“He said ‘Hey, I’ve got a guy who was a Korean vet, went to school in Delta in the 40s, never finished his high school because he left for the Army,'” Burke said. “‘Is there anything that we can do?'” Burke said the state of Ohio has a specific program for just those circumstances.
According to Section 3313.616 of the Ohio Revised Code, “the board of education of any city, exempted village, or local school district or the governing authority of any chartered nonpublic school may grant a high school diploma to any veteran of World War II, the Korean conflict, or the Vietnam conflict who is a resident of this state or who was previously enrolled in any high school in this state” so long as they meet a set of basic criteria including leaving school for United States military service, receiving an honorable discharge, and not having already received a diploma.
The section also authorizes the same option for women who left school during the same time frame due to family circumstances to join the workforce or war effort.
“We found his records and sure enough he had good records and didn’t finish,” Burke said. “That was the last feather in his cap, that he wanted to get his diploma. So, they had a nice ceremony for him at the American Legion and it was really well done.”
It was the first and so far, only time that the Pike-Delta-York district had received such a request.
“Now we’ve got a form that people can fill out online, but it doesn’t happen very often,” Burke said. “So, if there are more people out there that this pertains to, call the district office.”
Commenting in an official release from the school, Burke said “This story is a powerful reminder of the sacrifices made by our veterans. His commitment to our country and community exemplifies the values we all hold dear.