Dedication and resolve are two virtues we should all strive for, and we can’t think of a finer example of someone possessing these traits than recent Western Kentucky University graduate Bill Stephens.

Stephens, 44, is a Bowling Green police officer who – 26 years after enrolling on the Hill – has earned his degree in sociology.

The path to his degree wasn’t easy.

Stephens first enrolled at WKU in the fall of 1979, but dropped out to join the Marines in 1980. Upon moving back to Bowling Green in 1986 with his wife, Beverly, Stephens became a WKU police officer and was encouraged by a professor to keep working toward his degree.

One example of Stephens’ dedication to obtaining his goal was when his wife gave birth to their first child, Sara, on a Monday in 1987. He was in class Tuesday morning before visiting his wife and day-old daughter at the hospital.

This is a measure of his focus.

After the birth of their second child, Nick, in 1993, Stephens, now with the Bowling Green Police Department, took classes any way he could, either by correspondence, summer school, traditional classes and even took classes through his work from a retired police captain.

In 2004, after taking many classes, Stephens had not declared a major. He worked with sociology professor Edward Bohlander to put together a sociology major with a criminology minor.

Despite his degree, Stephens isn’t through with classwork. After taking a semester off, Stephens plans to take more classes at WKU as a graduate student.

Stephens has set a fine example for his family and others by not giving up on his goals and dreams.

The old proverb holds that good things come to those who are patient.

Stephens proves that patience along with perseverance can accomplish much.