Dean Caul has done a lot during his 59 years on this planet, but up until this past week earning his high school diploma wasn’t one of them.
The former drug addict and recovering alcoholic dropped out of high school in grade 10 and spent the next four decades fighting his addictions.
“I’ve always wanted it,” said Caul, about earning his high school equivalency diploma.
“It makes me feel like I can move mountains. The sky’s the limit for me,” he said, adding he just celebrated eight years of sobriety.
“If I can inspire somebody else to do it, that’s great.”
Raised in the tiny hamlet of La Vallee, Ont., about four hours west of Thunderbay, the father of five has experienced more than his fair share of life’s hardships.
“I’ve gone through quite a bit, but that’s what alcohol and drugs do,” said Caul, who is twice divorced and had his first child at the age of 18.
“I got my diploma to inspire them to stay in school. I always told my children to stay in school, don’t be like me, but now I can say look I finally went and did it,” said Caul, who is a welder by trade and has seven grandchildren.
“Ten years ago I lived on the streets of Grande Prairie. I was homeless,” said Caul.
Addicted to crack cocaine he spent a year on the streets before he realized he needed to do something before it was too late.
“I lost my job, lost my new truck, lost everything. The only thing I kept was a little bit of pride. That’s what kept me out,” he said, in reference to prison.
He blames his spiral into drugs and alcohol after he accidentally ran over and killed his best friend in a hunting accident in 1975.
“He was on the hood of my car and he fell off,” he recalled, “We were just going up the road to a different deer run, we weren’t even going three miles an hour and he lost his hat and turned and under the car he went.”
After spending about a year on the street Caul said one day he had a wake up call while sitting on a bench in a park.
“I was just sitting in the park and started thinking of my grandson and all of a sudden I wondered what the f--- am I doing here,” said Caul, who immediately checked himself into a detox centre.
“I had a big breakdown and noticed the detox centre across the street and just walked over and signed myself in.”
About two years later he managed to get off the booze and hasn’t touched either one since.
Caul moved his welding business from Evansburg, Alta., to Jasper in November so he could spend more time with his new partner.
“I love living here in Jasper. I’ve never met kinder, happier people and I have a beautiful relationship today,” said Caul.
By January he was enrolled in a General Education Development (GED) prep course with five other mature students to obtain his high school equivalency diploma.
The two and half month course is offered free of charge by the Jasper Adult Learning Centre and requires students to attend three classes a week for 3 hours. The classes include everything from algebra to English.
He said one of the biggest surprises when he signed up for the course was how much he already knew.
“I found out I’m more educated then I really thought I was,” said Caul. “This is probably the only time I went to school and never skipped class.”
He said earning his diploma even at 59 has been extremely rewarding and urged anyone who might be considering it to do it.
“Whether you’re 60 or 22 just go for it. All it costs you is time and determination.”
Paul Clarke
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