Former GI to receive business degree 53 years after leaving KU

Joseph Shephard

After waiting more than a half-century, Joseph Shephard can't wait to get his hands on a KU diploma.

"I'll walk down the Hill if my arthritis doesn't kill me," said the 78-year-old retiree.

Shephard dropped out of KU in 1950 when he ran out of money and time on his GI Bill. With a wife-and later children-to support, Shephard felt as though his responsibility was to his family rather than to a degree in industrial management, then a combination of business and engineering.

After leaving the University, Shephard worked as a salesman for Mobil and later landed a job with Atlantic Richfield Co., or Arco. He served in the military reserves until age 60, retiring as a lieutenant colonel. Shephard reared a son and daughter and moved to Midland, Texas.

But something was always missing. In February 2003, Shephard returned to his alma mater to find out what he would have to do to get his degree.

"I decided there was a loose end in my life and I wanted to do something about it," he said. "So I came up to KU to see about it."

Shephard said much had changed at KU in the 53 years since he last had walked down Jayhawk Boulevard. Despite the transformations, he found his way to the School of Business to meet with an adviser.

Business school administrative officer Erin Flessing was among the advisers helping students that day. When she sat down with Shephard, she encountered a story she never had heard before.

"He said he had been here in the 1950s, and he handed me his hard-copy records," Flessing said. "I told him it was going to take more than just a few minutes."

Shephard told Flessing that he was willing to enroll or complete his degree via correspondence. Flessing sent Shephard home with a promise to call him with some information in two weeks. Then she gathered his records as well as those kept by KU to find out how 1940s classes might fulfill 21st-century requirements.

After some research, it appeared that Shephard had about 150 hours of business classes and almost 180 hours overall. With a decent grade-point average, it looked as though he might already have what he needed.

Flessing said the final decision came after several meetings involving School of Business Dean Bill Fuerst, Assistant Dean Lisa Leroux-Smith, Associate Dean Keith Chauvin and University Registrar Rich Morrell.

Their verdict? Shephard was a candidate for a business degree.

"I was so happy when I called him and told him," Flessing said. "He was so grateful."

"I admire him tremendously for coming into my office and being willing to come back," Flessing said. "He's a decent, kindhearted, honest person. He's a very sweet man."

Shephard, who also plans to attend the business school's ceremony at 4 p.m. May 16 at the Lied Center of Kansas, said news of his achievement gave him a sense of satisfaction.

"I got something done that I had wanted to finish," he said. "It's important to me to have a degree."