Weymouth Man Receives High School Diploma On 99th Birthday

Weymouth MA

20 February, 2020

5:12 PM

Description

WEYMOUTH, MA — A Weymouth man and Navy veteran who left high school one month before graduation to accept a full-time job at the Department of Defense 81 years ago received his high school diploma on Monday. John Quinlan Jr. received the diploma from Weymouth Public Schools on his 99th birthday on Monday. Good Morning America featured Quinlan Jr. on Wednesday. Quinlan's daughter-in-law, Jodi Purdy-Quinlan, said her father-in-law left high school for the job about a month before he was set to finish school and the Weymouth school would not let him receive his diploma. Quinlan went on to serve in the Navy during World War II. A 2005 state law allows high school diplomas to be awarded to some veterans who left high school and served in World War II. The GMA report said Quinlan's daughter-in-law asked Weymouth Public Schools to consider giving her father-in-law an honorary diploma, but the school was able to award full graduation honors through a check of attendance records.