![](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/alfonso-gonzales.jpg?quality=85&w=2400)
A 96-year-old World War II veteran became the oldest person ever to graduate from the University of Southern California on Friday.
Alfonso Gonzales received his Bachelor’s of Science in zoology Friday, nearly 70 years after he first started at USC. The university doesn’t even offer a zoology major anymore — but officials there made an exception for Gonzales, who one dean called “a wonderful inspiration to everyone.”
Gonzales, of Hermosa Beach, California, was supposed to graduate in 1953, but hadn’t gone to his commencement because of work obligations, according to USC. When relatives recently inquired about getting a copy of his diploma….
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