John Hasenfus turned his tassel and threw his hands in the air. He was 100 years old, and he had just graduated from Needham High School.

In a surprise ceremony on Monday, June 29, Principal Aaron Sicotte handed Hasenfus the diploma he never received after enlisting to fight in World War II in 1944. Superintendent Daniel Gutekanst and Sicotte donned their academic regalia for the occasion, three weeks after wearing it to graduate the Class of 2026 on Monday, June 8, at Memorial Park.

Hasenfus had celebrated his 100th birthday days before the ceremony. He had no idea what was coming.

"A member of the Needham High School Class of ’45, Mr. Hasenfus put his education on hold to serve our country during World War II," the Needham Public Schools Committee wrote on Facebook. "Eighty-two years later, we were proud to attend yesterday's presentation of his official high school diploma by Principal Sicotte and Superintendent Gutekanst.

"We thank you for your service to our country, and we were honored to celebrate this wonderful milestone with you and your family."

Members of the Needham School Committee, Hasenfus's family, and fellow Needham veterans filled the room at the high school for the gathering, which was organized without Hasenfus's knowledge.

After receiving his diploma, Sicotte revealed a second surprise: a Needham Rockets football jersey bearing the number 85. Hasenfus raised it high for everyone to see.

82 years in the making

Hasenfus missed his original graduation because he enlisted during World War II. He was processed at Fort Devens, traveled to Boston, then completed 17 weeks of basic training in Macon, Georgia, before shipping out from Stockton, California, according to the Hometown Weekly.

He deployed to Leyte in the Philippine Islands. His cousin Walter, who had lived next door to him in Needham, was killed there as a rifleman. Years later, a fellow Needham resident visited Walter's grave at Leyte and brought back a photograph for Hasenfus and for Walter's sister Ruth.

After the atomic bomb was dropped, Hasenfus's unit left the Philippines for Korea, where he watched Japanese forces departing as American forces arrived. He then returned to the United States.

Asked about his plans after finally finishing high school, Hasenfus kept it simple: "Just being healthy … that's the big thing."