COLUMBUS, Ohio — A high school senior selected her former school bus driver when asked to pick someone who had influenced her to present her diploma at graduation, The Columbus Dispatch reports.

Emily Bowen sought out school bus driver Glenn Dickey, now 83, whom she had last seen eight years ago while attending Liberty Elementary School, according to the newspaper. He agreed to present her diploma and told The Columbus Dispatch he was honored to participate and that Bowen went through the effort to locate him.

Bowen added that initially her mother made the suggestion to choose Dickey for the ceremony, and when she thought about it, she realized that school bus drivers “are an important part of the school system, even though they’re not recognized,” according to the newspaper. She added that seeing Dickey treat everyone with respect has continued to be an influence on her.

Dickey drove his final bus routes last week, according to The Columbus Dispatch. He had also started a reading program that offered books to children during bus trips.

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