South Carolina, Feb 22:
A 106-year-old South Carolina man crossed the stage to accept an honorary high school diploma.
Fred Allen Smalls, aka “Gramps,” was awarded the honorary diploma from Georgetown High School in a
ceremony attended by more than 100 people.
Smalls’ granddaughter, Birdella Kinney, worked for over a year to get Smalls his diploma and organize
the ceremony.
Smalls, born Feb. 5, 1918, in the Plantersville area of Georgetown County, left school after the eighth
grade to move to Washington, D.C., and help support his family.
Speakers at the graduation ceremony included District Superintendent Keith Price and Georgetown
Mayor Carol Jayroe.
Kinney has been documenting Smalls’ favorite activities, including watching sports and spending time
with the family’s dog, Bella, on TikTok. The videos led to Smalls being featured in an NBC News article
on Black centenarians who became social media celebrities.
