All in the family: WIU graduate becomes family's 17th school alumnus
When Tessie Morton of Keokuk, Iowa, crossed the commencement stage last week, she became the 17th member of her family to graduate from Western Illinois University.Morton’s mother, Sherry Morton of Lucas, Texas, joined her onstage. A 1989 graduate of the school, Sherry had been unable to walk in her own commencement ceremony due to being a mother with two children to care for and another on the way. Morton’s father, 1987 WIU graduate John Morton, was serving in the U.S. Marine Corps (apropos of a graduate of a school that names its sports teams the Leathernecks) and was deployed at the time.
The idea for Sherry to cross the stage with Morton came at a 2021 Christmas gathering when John mentioned he wished his wife would have been able to take part in her graduation ceremony. That was when the idea for the pair to walk together was born. According to Morton, Sherry was initially reluctant to join her onstage during the ceremony because she did not want to take away from her daughter's special day."She didn't want it to be about her," Morton said. "Before I went back to school, I was working for them. I went through COVID and the death of a friend and I will forever be grateful for their support."Morton ordered her mom a duplicate cap and gown and decorated both caps for the ceremony. Hearing about the Morton family legacy, WIU's College of Education and Human Services granted special permission for mother and daughter to cross the stage together.
First-generation college students, Morton's parents met while John was attending WIU, and he convinced Sherry to begin her degree as well.Both John's mother, Carolyn Sharpe, and Sherry's mother, the late Georgia Tripp, both of Warsaw, Ill., came to WIU to complete bachelor's degrees in education and social work, respectively, shortly after their children graduated.
The two women carpooled to Macomb for classes. Tripp obtained her bachelor’s degree in 1990 and Sharpe received earned hers in 1991. "It wasn't until my grandmother passed away that I even knew she graduated from college," Morton said.Morton added that Sharpe did not realize how many WIU graduates there were in the family until recently.
Other WIU alumni include Morton’s uncle David Morton, aunts Brenda Morton, Laura Lisa Anderson and Susan Gribler; cousins Kenny and Oresta Felts (who met at WIU) and Sarah Kramer; and three more relatives, Brent Tripp, Henry Branham and Jennifer Brinkschroeder.
This article originally appeared on Galesburg Register-Mail: Western Illinois University graduate becomes family's 17th WIU alumnus
