Photo Credit: Justin McIntoshWhen Reba won her very first CMA Award for Female Vocalist of the Year back in 1984, she gave one of the most iconic acceptance speeches in the 50-year history of the show, paying tribute to her mother.
“The first time me and Mama came to Nashville,” the present-day Country Music Hall of Famer said, “she told me, she said, ‘Reba, I couldn’t do this, so I’m living my life and my dreams through you.’ This is for me and Mama, and we thank you.”
This past week in her home state of Oklahoma, Reba helped make another of her mother’s dreams come true — graduation from college.
Even though Jacqueline McEntire graduated from high school at the age of 16, and was certified as a teacher by the state of Oklahoma at 18, she was never able to finish her degree, even though she worked in public education for close to 20 years. Thursday at Southeastern Oklahoma State University, that all changed, as the soon-to-be 90-year-old was presented with an Honorary Bachelor’s Degree in Public Education and Community Service.
Reba and her siblings Alice, Pake, and Susie were all on hand to celebrate. Reba herself graduated from the Durant, Oklahoma, college in 1976, with a degree in Elementary Education and Fine Arts.
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