Forty-one years after enrolling, letter carrier finally graduates

It's taken a while, but Ellwood City resident and longtime letter carrier Alan Dudash is proud of his accomplishments.
Dudash will graduate from Slippery Rock University's winter commencement exercises at 1:30 p.m. next Saturday in Morrow Field House. His history diploma will be presented a day after his 59th birthday.
Dudash said, "It really feels great to be completing my studies. I started college in Youngstown in 1963, but dropped out. I started back at Slippery Rock University in 1990 and it has taken me 14 years. It is sure a relief."
A letter carrier with the U.S. Postal Service in Ellwood City for 28 years, Dudash and his wife, Sara, have a daughter and three grandchildren.
Over the years, he said he has become "a Civil War history buff and I especially enjoy the history of colonial Pennsylvania." In addition to classes at SRU, he also studied at Butler County Community College.
Dudash said he is toying with the idea of retirement in two to three years, and the idea of going to graduate school.