Graduate Walks Across Stage 53 Years Later

For most college graduates it takes four or five years to walk on graduation day, but one TU graduate waited 53 years to stroll across the stage.

Ellis Jenkins graduated from TU in 1955 with a bachelor's degree in business administration, but he couldn't go through commencement because he was in the Air Force stationed in Denver, Colorado.

Last year Jenkins mentioned to his friends that he'd missed his graduation. Two weeks ago, he got a call from the lettermen's association that they wanted him to walk.

"The gifts are just rolling in, haha. I sent out fall announcements to some of my friends and they are sending gifts, some of them will be here today. I'm having fun," said Jenkins.

Jenkins was a Shell employee for 32 years and retired in 1989.