106-year-old man awarded high school diploma

Fred Butler is proof that it is never too late to achieve your dreams. 

The 106-year-old World War II veteran has been awarded an honorary high school diploma some 90 years after he was forced to drop out of school to look after his mother and five siblings, wcvb.com reported.

Butler of Beverly Mass. received the award during an emotional ceremony on Monday.

Cathy Butler spearheaded the campaign to get her father-in-law the diploma – something he had always regretted not achieving – following the death of his wife, Ruth, last year, the Associated Press reported.

Despite never finishing high school, Butler went on to achieve many other things in his long life: he served in the US Army during World War II, worked for the local water department and raised five children with his wife of 65 years, the AP said.

“I never expected to get anything like that,” Butler was quoted by the Boston Globe as saying. 

“I really appreciate it. I want to thank everybody who is respon­sible for this.”