Retired Colonel, 88, Finally Walks at Georgia Tech Graduation 60 Years Late

Kenneth Grundborg earned his first Georgia Tech degree in 1960. The Army had other plans for the graduation ceremony. He earned his second Georgia Tech degree in 1966. The Army had other plans for that one too.

Six decades later, at 88 years old, Grundborg finally got to turn his tassel.

Twice Deployed, Twice Missed

Grundborg completed his bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Georgia Tech in 1960. Before he could walk across the stage, the U.S. Army deployed him for reserve officer training at Fort Belvoir in Virginia, then sent him to Korea. His mother was disappointed. He accepted it as simply part of the life he had chosen.

Six years later, in 1966, he completed a master's degree in civil engineering from the same institution. The Army, consistent as ever, sent him directly to Vietnam.

Two degrees. Two deployments. Zero graduation ceremonies.

"I didn't think much of it," Grundborg said. And he hadn't thought about it in the six decades since — not until his wife, Mila Lynne Floro, decided it was time.

A Career That Filled the Years Between

What Grundborg did with the education he never got to celebrate publicly is a story in itself.

He spent nearly 29 years with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, serving with the 82nd Airborne Division, the Rangers, and the Pathfinders. He earned the Bronze Star Medal, the Legion of Merit, and the Ranger Tab. He retired as a colonel.

Retirement lasted about as long as it takes to find the next project. A retired general he had worked with during his military career recruited him to join Jacobs Engineering, a major engineering and construction firm. For another two decades, Grundborg did civilian work for the federal government — renovations to the Treasury Department, the General Services Administration, and one of the FBI's training centers. He went back overseas to help build U.S. embassies in Jordan and Bolivia.

"Every job is different. Every job has challenges. Every job is unique," Grundborg said. "I just love being out there with people doing construction and documenting what they did and how well it was done."

He finally retired — actually retired — at 75. He and Mila settled in Arlington, Virginia, where they follow Georgia Tech athletics with genuine devotion. A Yellow Jackets win is cause for celebration in the Grundborg household.

In 2023, he returned to Georgia Tech's campus for the first time in more than 60 years, reconnecting with a place that had shaped everything that followed.

The Ceremony He Never Had

What happened next was largely Mila's doing. She quietly organized what Grundborg couldn't have organized for himself — not because he lacked the ability, but because he had genuinely never thought to ask.

Georgia Tech invited Grundborg to participate in the spring 2026 commencement weekend. Thanks to Mila's planning, family members traveled from across the country to surprise him. He walked not once but twice — with the civil engineering bachelor's graduates on Friday night, and with the master's graduates on Saturday morning.

When he crossed the stage to accept his diploma, a presenter offered the line that captured the moment perfectly: "You, sir, are 60 years late to your graduation ceremony."

The room responded accordingly.

What He Said Afterward

Grundborg, who has never been a man of unnecessary words, expressed the kind of gratitude that comes from someone who understands exactly what an institution gave him before he had the chance to thank it.

"I feel so indebted to all the people who were there and the time these professors took to teach us and the dedication they had to making us good students," he said. "I just can't forget that. I would not have had the experiences I've had were it not for Georgia Tech."

He paused over the weekend, thinking about everything those two degrees had made possible — the Army career, the civilian career, the embassies in Jordan and Bolivia, the decades of building things that lasted.

"To me, there is nothing better than Georgia Tech," he said. "I can't think of a better place to get an education."

He said it like a man who had 60 years of evidence to back it up.

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