When the Springdale School District honored the Class of 2022, they also recognized four students who would have graduated in 1956 if they had not chosen to join the military.
Carl Stults, Bobby Burke, Charles Leroy Moon, and Bob Self, dubbed “super seniors,” received honorary diplomas alongside Springdale High School’s 484 graduating seniors.
In 1956, the four men were seniors at the high school, but none of them received a diploma.
“I took a GED test when I went into the Air Force and at the time, Springdale didn’t recognize the GED test,” Self said. “I got a diploma from Little Rock Central.”
The district only learned of their failure to receive a high school diploma after coming across the men while they were having lunch one day.
The presence of the super seniors came as a surprise to the graduating class, and it came with a lesson.
Springdale Superintendent Jared Cleveland read letters from Gov. Asa Hutchinson and U.S. Rep. Steve Womack during the ceremony.
“They served during the time of the Korean conflict and beyond. At that time, they didn’t think about themselves, they didn’t think ‘What about me?’” Womack wrote. “They answered the call of duty. Is that not the truest spirit of America?”
Educators also took the time to detail each veteran’s achievements since joining the Air Force in 1956.
Although it took 66 years, these four men were well-served by receiving their diplomas from their alma mater.
Please join me in congratulating all four veterans and thanking them for their service! We are able to live in the country we live in today because of people like them.
Everyone should celebrate and thank these men for their achievements and sacrifices.
