Most people graduate from college in their early 20s. Linwood Riddick did it just shy of his 80th birthday. And while some may see that as unconventional, for Riddick, it was right on time.
The Vietnam War veteran returned to the classroom not just to sharpen his mind, but to honor history—and to make a little of his own. On May 9, just two days before turning 80, Riddick graduated from South Carolina State University with a bachelor’s degree in music industry. The HBCU shared the news in a release celebrating the veteran’s inspiring journey—and the sense of purpose that brought him back to campus.
After his military service, Riddick spent three decades running his own souvenir business and retired at age 72. But that wasn’t the end of the road for him. One day, while passing through the SC State campus in Orangeburg, SC, he overheard a conversation that would change everything.
“I heard some men talk about the Orangeburg Massacre,” Riddick told Sam Watson, SC State’s director of university relations. The 1968 massacre occurred when police opened fire on Black students protesting segregation at a local bowling alley. Three young men were killed. Dozens more were injured. None of the officers involved were ever convicted.
Learning about that moment stirred something profound in him.
“I’m going to have to come here, put my name on this institutional wall because of the sacrifice of these three men,” he said.
So that’s exactly what he did.
Riddick became a full-time student, commuting an hour each way from his home in Summerville. He joined the university’s concert choir, performing at commencements, concerts, and special events. And on graduation day, SC State President Alexander Conyers ensured the crowd knew just how much Riddick meant to the school community.
“Mr. Riddick, you inspire us all,” Conyers said, pausing the ceremony to recognize him in the back row of the choir risers.
When it was finally his turn to walk the stage and accept his diploma, the crowd gave him a standing ovation.
But for Riddick, this milestone wasn’t just about earning a degree—it was about keeping his spirit alive and pouring into the next generation.
“Your mind, your body, your soul and spirit — they must be utilized,” he told Watson. Now, he hopes to continue mentoring younger students and helping bridge the gap between generations.
“If I can do it, you can do it,” he said. “It’s not impossible if you try.”