POP/ROCK - June 26, 1992

At Long Last: A quarter century after he was to graduate from high school, pop star Billy Joel has received his diploma from Hicksville High School in New Jersey. The 43-year-old singer and songwriter already was a working musician when he was a senior in 1967 and didn’t wake up in time for his English and gym exams. To make up those lost credits, he submitted a list of his published works and public speaking engagements, and the school waived the gym requirement. Quipped Joel at the ceremony: “Mom, don’t worry, I’ll get out of this dead-end job and start working on a career with a real future.”