Bill Abler had a different view than most parents who witnessed the University of Illinois Springfield’s commencement ceremony Saturday.
While other parents filled the balcony and bleachers of the Prairie Capital Convention Center, Abler, a UIS associate professor of human development counseling, was on stage handing his son, Patrick, his diploma.
It was a proud moment watching his son walk across the stage to receive a bachelor’s degree in psychology, Abler said. When he began teaching at UIS in 1994, the school did not offer four-year undergraduate degrees.
“It’s pretty big for me,” he said. “I never expected to be on stage with him and have him graduate from UIS.”
Commencement was featured in an may 15, 2011, article in The State Journal-Register.
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