He missed graduation during WWII. Now 101, he’ll walk with Class of ’23.

When he started college in the fall of 1939, Fredric Taylor was excited for his future. He had begun studying music education at his hometown school, Iowa’s Cornell College, with dreams of becoming a music instructor.

Then, in December 1941, Japan attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, prompting the United States to enter World War II. Taylor, knowing he could be drafted into the military, instead joined the Army Air Corps the following year.