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updated 6/15/2011 1:32:44 PM ET 2011-06-15T17:32:44

A man who dropped out of college just short of graduation in 1932 has earned his degree at age 99.

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KTVZ-TV in Bend reports that Leo Plass, of Redmond, Oregon, received his diploma a few days ago from Eastern Oregon University in La Grande.

Mom earns college degree 23 years after memory loss

Plass says he was less than one semester away from graduating from what was then called Eastern Oregon Normal School and starting a career as a teacher.

But Plass says it was the Great Depression, and a teaching salary of $80 a month wouldn't cut it.

Video: Medal of Honor recipient gets diploma at 90

So when a friend offered him a spot in a logging outfit at $150 a month, Plass says he couldn't pass it up.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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