Jack gets his degree For the 15 graduates of the Canaseraga Class of 2012, Friday night’s 117th commencement at the Northern Allegany County central school district was the culmination of 13 years of hard work. Read more: steubencourier/x1497928458/Jack-gets-his-degree#ixzz2jFotdnkN By Neal Simon Updated Jul. 3, 2012 @ 3:20 am Canaseraga, NY For the 15 graduates of the Canaseraga Class of 2012, Friday night’s 117th commencement at the Northern Allegany County central school district was the culmination of 13 years of hard work. For a 16th graduate, the wait was quite a bit longer — about 70 years, in fact. Earl Jack Conklin, Jr., a member of the Canaseraga class of 1944, received his diploma Friday night, some 70 years after he left school to fight in World War II. A few months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, on Dec. 7, 1941, Jack Conklin joined the Marine Corps, and was assigned to the 3rd Division. He fought in the South Pacific, doing dirty jobs, his son recounted Friday afternoon. “He decided he was going to join as soon as we were hit,” Spencer Conklin explained. He would go behind the lines and take prisoners.” During Friday night’s graduation ceremony in the school, Canaseraga interim superintendent Ted Binley recounted the elder Conklin’s bravery in battle, explaining that he earned 3 Purple Hearts while taking part in 15 invasions, including battles on Saipan and Okinawa. A couple of hours prior to Friday’s ceremony, family members were hopeful that the 87-year-old Conklin had not figured out that there was a big surprise in store for him in a couple of hours. Hopefully he doesnt have it all put together, Spencer Conklin said. Its tough to pull something over on him. Jack Conklin (family members say he prefers to be called Jack) was born Elmira, but spent his formative years in Canaseraga, growing up there during the Great Depression. His father was the Canaseraga fire chief. When he was old enough, Earl Jack Conklin, Jr. joined the fire department. Jack Conklin and his bride, Margaret Peggy Conklin, raised four children and three grandchildren together. Jack Conklin ran a successful contractor/construction business in Bath, N.Y., with dozens of large projects to his credit. He became a specialist in heat energy efficiency, and even wrote a book on the subject. Spencer Conklin said his father has wanted a high school diploma, but he was not expecting it to come together in time for this year. New York State’s “Operation Recognition” allows certain veterans to earn high school diplomas if they left school without graduating. The New York State Department of Education created “Operation Recognition” to honor and acknowledge the dedication and sacrifice of WWII, Korea, and Vietnam veterans who left school before graduation by awarding them a high school dipl Read more: steubencourier/x1497928458/Jack-gets-his-degree#ixzz2jFpDUew7 Jack Conklin (family members say he prefers to be called Jack) was born Elmira, but spent his formative years in Canaseraga, growing up there during the Great Depression. His father was the Canaseraga fire chief. When he was old enough, Earl Jack Conklin, Jr. joined the fire department. Jack Conklin and his bride, Margaret Peggy Conklin, raised four children and three grandchildren together. Jack Conklin ran a successful contractor/construction business in Bath, N.Y., with dozens of large projects to his credit. He became a specialist in heat energy efficiency, and even wrote a book on the subject. Spencer Conklin said his father has wanted a high school diploma, but he was not expecting it to come together in time for this year. New York State’s “Operation Recognition” allows certain veterans to earn high school diplomas if they left school without graduating. The New York State Department of Education created “Operation Recognition” to honor and acknowledge the dedication and sacrifice of WWII, Korea, and Vietnam veterans who left school before graduation by awarding them a high school diploma. 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