Picture courtesy of Sac City Chamber Facebook
East Sac County (ESC) School District honored a 107-year-old Sac City resident with high school diploma during commencement this past weekend. Orville Ehwegen attended school through the 8th grade, then had to stay behind and help out on the family farm north of Wall Lake during the Great Depression in 1931. He assisted there until 1939, before being recruited to the United States Army in 1942 during World War II, (WWII) serving in New Zealand, Australia then being sent to Korea before coming back home to Sac City. Ehwegen opened his own appliance store in Sac City in 1959, which was operated until 1983 when he and his wife retired. When the Sac City Chamber was looking to find the oldest graduation senior, they discovered Ehwegen never received his even after returning home from WWII. With the help of a friend, the chambers and ESC, Ehwegen was recognized during the Class of 2025 Graduation Commencement this past Sunday. ESC High School Principal, Tony Tedesco, says “Giving an honorary diploma to a man who helped his family during the great depression, served our country in WWII and has had such a positive impact on the community was an easy decision. Orville is such a great person, and I was happy that he could join our graduates and get some recognition for his service to both the country and our community.” Pictures from the ceremony can be found included with the link below.
