Harvey Harris was six credits short of his University of Miami degree when the Army drafted him in 1958. On September 1, he finally received it.
Harvey made his parents a promise in 1958. He had been studying at the University of Miami and was six credits shy of finishing when he was drafted into the U.S. Army. One day, he told them, he would get that diploma.
He kept the promise. On September 1, 2026, at 90 years old, Harris received his University of Miami degree at a ceremony held at Arbor Terrace Cooper City. "A promise is a promise," he said.
Leonidas Bachas, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and Chantel Acevedo, the college's senior associate dean for academic affairs, presented the diploma. Jon Baldessari of the University's Veterans Resource Center gave Harris an honor stole and cord recognizing his service, along with a challenge coin from the Veteran Students Organization.
Harris grew up in South Beach and attended Miami Beach Senior High School before enrolling at the University of Miami in 1954. After his physical, he found himself on a train to Fort Jackson, South Carolina, for basic training. He was later sent to Germany in response to the Berlin Crisis, and while stationed in Augsburg he completed his remaining credits through a University of Maryland extension program.
The diploma itself never followed. Harris was honorably discharged in 1962 and went on to work as a sales representative and mortgage banker while raising a family with his wife of 59 years. "I knew at some point I would," he said of finishing. "It was a challenge for me all these years."
That changed in the spring of 2026. Elma Pierre, a Barry University Master of Social Work student completing an internship here at Arbor Terrace Cooper City, learned that the unfinished degree was a longstanding regret. She contacted the University, and Bachas, Acevedo, Assistant Dean Emily Long, and Dean of Undergraduate Affairs Maria Galli Stampino worked with her to transfer his University of Maryland credits.
Harris is most likely the oldest student ever to graduate from the college. His daughter, Tricia Hack, attended the ceremony and called it a lifelong dream for the whole family. At the end, Harris tossed his cap into the air and put on a University of Miami baseball cap.
The University of Miami and WPLG Local 10 News both covered Harvey's graduation. You can read and watch their full reports below.
University of Miami: At 90, a dream fulfilled
WPLG Local 10 News: Never give up: 90-year-old veteran earns degree at UM after 68-year wait