Bob Blum, 94, is set to earn his bachelor's degree from Keiser University on Friday, which would make him the oldest graduate in the university's history.
Blum is pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies and has been selected by his peers to speak at the ceremony.
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“I spent 70 years applying for jobs and the only thing I could list in the ‘education’ section of those applications was a high school diploma,” said Blum.
Blum earned his high school diploma at Fishburne Military School and attended college at the University of Maryland in 1946, but never earned his degree.
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Instead, he joined the U.S. Air Force, said Associate Vice Chancellor of Media and Public Relations, Jeff LaLiberte.
Blum was a successful salesman in the 1950s in the Washington D.C. area selling Valley Forge Beer for a distribution company owned by his mother, said LaLiberte.
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However, he says the one achievement that always eluded him was earning his college degree. “I always felt something was missing from my life without it,” said Blum.
Blum’s time in the U.S. Air Force taught him about the importance of service to others and he continues to exhibit that giving spirit today, said LaLiberte.
Now, he manages the investment portfolio for Fishburne Military School and advises students about sound budget planning.
Blum credits his wife, Connie, and daughter, Randy Kashi, for helping him learn the technologies required of college students.
The soon-to-be graduate will join approximately 70 other students in a commencement ceremony hosted at the Ritz-Carlton Resort of Naples at 6 p.m. on Friday, May 20.
