Joseph Shephard doesn’t need a college degree.

He’s 77, and has been retired for 13 years.

But a nagging feeling brought him back to Kansas University in February for the first time since he dropped out in 1950. He wanted to know what he had to do to get a diploma.

“I’m getting up in age,” he said. “It’s always something good to put on your resume. Maybe the people upstairs in heaven will check me out.”

Shephard, who now lives in Midland, Texas, today will receive a degree he never knew he earned 53 years ago.

Dropout

Shephard grew up in Kansas City, Mo. After high school, he was drafted into the Army and spent four years as a pilot during World War II. He spent much of his time in Puerto Rico, never seeing combat time overseas.

When he was discharged in 1946, he decided to study business at KU — mainly because it was close and got good recommendations from Shephard’s friends who had been Jayhawks. He became involved in the Sigma Nu fraternity.

“I loved it,” he said.

He also fell in love. He married a fellow student, Charlotte Henry, in 1947.

Joseph Shephard, 77, will receive his degree from Kansas University today during KU commencement ceremonies -- more than 50 years after he last attended a KU class. University officials found that Shephard had already completed the necessary work for a business degree after he inquired about returning to classes earlier in the year. Shephard was honored Friday at the School of Business' graduate recognition ceremony at the Lied Center.

By 1950, his GI Bill funding ran out, and he was feeling the pressures of supporting a wife and wanting to start a family. So he dropped out of school and started a career as a salesman for Mobil Oil and later at Atlantic Richfield Corp., also known as ARCO.

He worked in Kansas City for several years before moving to Midland. He also stayed in the military reserves until age 60, retiring as a lieutenant colonel.

Shephard and his wife raised two children. His son, Joseph Shephard Jr., lives in Midland. His wife and daughter Jean have died.

Shephard never got a college degree, but he said that didn’t hurt his career.

Not a typical freshman

Then, one day last year, the idea came to him.

“It crossed my mind, that I should see if I could complete my degree,” he said. “It’d be nice to have.”

So he drove from Midland to Lawrence, with a stack of university transcripts he’d kept from the late 1940s.

Erin Flessing was working in the business advising center the day when Shephard walked in, handed over his records and asked what it would take for him to graduate. He offered to enroll in a class at KU or take a correspondence course.

“He didn’t look like a typical freshman,” Flessing said. “I sort of chuckled and said, ‘Mr. Shephard, it’s going to take longer than five minutes for me to figure this out.'”

So she promised to call Shephard in two weeks to let him know about the degree requirements. Flessing had to figure out what the requirements were to graduate in the 1940s.

“He was very nice, very polite,” Flessing said. “I wish all the students were like that. Some are very grumpy and testy.”

This is an Army photo of Joseph Shephard. He was drafted in 1942, discharged in 1946 and started attending Kansas University.

As Flessing and others looked into the issue, Shephard called every few days to ask about the progress. He was anxious to hear about the degree.

“He’d always say, ‘Hi, Miss Erin,'” Flessing recalled. “He’d ask how the weather was in Lawrence, and eventually he’d ask about the paperwork.”

Lots of hours

Eventually, KU officials realized Shephard had more than enough hours to graduate.

Today it takes 128 hours to receive a diploma. Shephard had 153 hours, including 36 transfer credits and 14 hours for his military service.

“He earned it,” said Lisa Leroux-Smith, assistant dean at the School of Business. “It was there. All he had to do was ask us for it.”

Flessing made the phone call to tell Shephard he’d earned his degree.

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“I almost started crying, I was so excited,” Flessing said. “He said, ‘Oh, you made my day.’ I just said, ‘Mr. Shephard, I’m very proud of you for finishing this journey. Your determination is very admirable.'”

Shephard said he never realized he had enough hours to graduate.

Proud Jayhawk

Shephard has remained an avid KU basketball fan through the years and has a Jayhawk license plate frame on his car. But he admits his years in Texas have eroded his loyalty a bit — he also roots for the Texas Longhorns in football and basketball.

Friday, Shephard received special recognition during the School of Business ceremony at the Lied Center. He posed for photos with William Fuerst, the school’s dean, before the ceremony.

Shephard is planning to attend today’s 2:30 p.m. commencement ceremony, though he’s not sure if he can handle the walk down Campanile Hill, considering the arthritis in his knees.

Shephard said he was amazed about how different the campus looked when he returned.

“There have been a lot of changes,” he said. “It’s spread out so much more. They said I had to go to the Lied Center for the business ceremony, and I didn’t even know where that was.”

Leroux-Smith called Shephard’s accomplishment a “feel-good story” that has been the talk of the school in recent weeks.

“I’m thrilled,” Leroux-Smith said. “We’re not giving him anything — he earned it. He’s just getting what he deserves. Plus, he’s a delightful person.”

For Shephard, the diploma completes a journey he began 57 years ago.

“It’s something I started and never finished,” he said. “It’s something I wanted to get done.”