LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The University of Louisville has announced one more graduate just in time for the start of a new school year.

Larry Byers McKillip never got the chance to earn his college diploma.

The petty officer second class served two years in Vietnam on the medical team of a Marine Corps. boat before he was discharged from the Navy in 1971. After two years at a community college, he transferred to UofL to pursue a degree in Recreational Education.

He left school in 1979 with an incomplete degree to take care of his parents. He was never able to return.

McKillip went on to work as a recreation technician at the Chillicothe Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Ohio, where he kept patients active until his retirement in 2006.

In 2016, McKillip was diagnosed with stage IV esophageal cancer.

McKillip, now 74, and his wife of 40 years, Linda, have four children. Son-in-law Jason Beavers cites “some unfinished business” for McKillip.

On Monday, the University of Louisville helped McKillip tie up some loose ends during a ceremony on the steps of Grawemeyer Hall. Surrounded by family and UofL administrators, faculty, and staff, McKillip received an Associate’s Degree in Recreational Education, a Certificate of Recognition from the College of Education and Human Development, and the title of Adopted Alumnus.