( CNN ) -- A 99-year-old woman was finally awarded her college diploma at a special graduation ceremony after a $ 5 diploma fee prevented her from receiving it 75 years ago . Jessie Rose White of Belfast , Maine , received a degree in stenography and bookkeeping after completing courses at Beal College in Bangor in 1939 . `` I 'm delighted ! '' White said Monday , `` I did n't have the money to pay for the diploma , so I did n't get it . '' White says she put herself through bookkeeping courses with $ 500 her uncle had given her years before she enrolled at Beal . `` It stayed in the bank , and he specified it could n't be used for anything but education , '' White said . White says she used all her money to complete the required courses and could not afford the $ 5 diploma fee . Dona Gilbert , a friend of White 's who recently learned about her education plight , contacted the college to share White 's story . `` She deserved a diploma . I just thought it needed to be done , '' Gilbert said . Beal College President Allen Stehle presented White with her diploma . `` He gave me a receipt showing that it was paid for , '' White said . `` He has a great sense of humor . '' Diagnosed with polio at 18 months old , White used crutches to make her way around the Beal campus when she was a student . She struggled to get a job after because of her disability , working as a bookkeeper and later a seamstress . Today , after a number of foot surgeries , White uses a wheelchair . A regular on the computer and the Internet , White intends to keep pursuing an education . `` I 've always had a great thirst for learning , and I try to learn something new every day . I 'd love to go back to college now if I had the strength . '' Gilbert says she is constantly impressed by White 's attitude . `` When I visit her , we just never stop talking , '' Gilbert said . `` She 's curious and always asking questions . She has taught me and enriched my life in tremendous ways . '' White was joined at her graduation by her son , daughter-in-law and three grandchildren . `` We 're very appreciative of the care and attention to detail that was put into the graduation ceremony , '' said her son , William White . The diploma gives her maiden name , Jessie Rose Jones . `` I 'm glad I had to wait 75 years , because it was more fun than it would have been in the first place , '' White said .
A $ 5 diploma debt prevented Jessie Mae White from receiving her degree in 1923 . ` ` I ' ve always had a great love for learning , '' White said . A reporter shared White 's story with Bates College in Maine .