Dennis Lennon, 78, celebrating his long-awaited Northeast High School graduation
As a 78-year-old, Dennis Lennon has lived a rewarding life.
He served his country as a veteran, raised three children, and retired down the shore after a long career as a truck driver. Although there’s one thing he always felt was missing from his life: his high school diploma.
Growing up, Lennon attended Northeast High School, a Philadelphia public school serving students from Northeast neighborhoods. In 1966, when Lennon was a senior in high school, the Vietnam War was well underway. During the winter a few of his friends had been drafted, and once they came home from boot camp, Lennon’s patriotic commitment drove him to sign up for the draft as well.
By February, he was shipped out.
Lennon thought he would be traveling to Vietnam, but because of his background of working in an automotive shop, his orders sent him to Germany, where he could work on repairs. He did two years of active service and four years in reserve.
Francis Ludwig, a high school friend who inspired Lennon to enlist, died in 1967 in Vietnam’s Quang Tri province. Lennon still carries Ludwig’s mass card from the funeral to this day, even though it has suffered some wear and tear over the decades.
After the war, Lennon worked for a company called Universal Car Loading, where he loaded and unloaded box cars, trains, and trucks. Then, he began his career as a truck driver, which he continued for 37 years before retiring in 2004. Along the way, he met his first wife, had three children, and then later remarried to his current wife, Tina Lennon, in 2012.
Yet, it always bugged Lennon that, because he was overseas, he never got to officially graduate from high school. When people would ask him where he went to school and when he graduated, he dreaded having to explain the story.
“I always regretted not getting my diploma,” said Lennon. “I told my wife, why didn’t I just wait four more months to get my degree?”
Lennon said that one year, his wife Tina created a replica diploma, put it in a frame, and gifted it to him for Christmas because it was something he had always wanted so badly.
But then, a year ago, Lennon met a gentleman named Jim Adams, who, unbeknownst to Lennon at the time, worked at Northeast High School. When Lennon repeated the same story he always did when asked his graduation year, Adams said, “Let me see what I can do.”
Adams then coordinated with the staff at Northeast High School to arrange for Lennon to finally walk the stage at this year’s graduation ceremony.
In his opening remarks, Principal Omar Crowder gave a special announcement for Lennon: “Today, he will fulfill his dream of becoming an official Northeast High School graduate.”
Donned in a black cap and gown, Lennon strode across the football field, using his cane for support. He received his diploma to a resounding chorus of cheers and applause. Lennon had his children, grandchildren, and entire extended family with him to celebrate the long-awaited achievement.
“It’s amazing how it made me feel, being on that football field,” said Lennon. “I felt very honored, and a little hole in my life was filled.”
Now, Lennon gets to enjoy fishing and living in Cape May County, N.J. with his official diploma hanging on the wall.
“You never know how life can change in one split second,” he said.
