Good News Thursday: 78-year-old man receives high school diploma after 6 decades, house that inspired ‘The Conjuring’ sells for more than $1.5M

Good News Thursday: 78-year-old man receives high school diploma after 6 decades, house that inspired 'The Conjuring' sells for more than $1.5M

78-year-old man receives high school diploma after 6 decades

A Pasadena man received his high school diploma from San Gabriel High School six decades after he attended the school. Ted Sams walked across the stage at the Rose Bowl on May 27, grinning ear to ear. Sams accepted his original diploma which had been locked away in a filing cabinet since his high school days.

Sams was suspended during his last week of school in 1962. After returning to school to take a final that summer, Sams was told he could not receive his diploma until he paid $4.80 for a textbook. He walked away and said, “Forget it.” The 78-year-old now plans to hang the diploma in his home.

“Over the years, I complained to my kids a number of times about how $4.80 kept me from having my diploma,” he said.

House that inspired ‘The Conjuring’ sells for more than $1.5M

The 18th century home that inspired the popular horror movie “The Conjuring,” sold for $1.525 million on Thursday to a Boston developer. The 2013 film was based on experiences of a family who lived in the home in the 1970s.

The home will remain open to the public and the new owner Jacqueline Nunez said she plans to continue offering tours and paranormal investigations. Nunez purchased the home from Cory and Jennifer Heinzen, who bought the home in 2019.

“This purchase is personal for me,” Nunez said to The Boston Globe. “It’s not a real estate development. It’s around my own beliefs.”

Artist bring life to colorless streets in England

An artist in Gloucester, England, is working to transform her city’s streets from run down and dull, into a vibrant rainbow. Tash Frootko revealed the project this week, transforming 25 houses in her city to make the streets more inviting and lively. The area will now be referred to as “Rainbow Square.” 

Frootko said she hopes to bring life to the dim streets in her city, which she views as a “huge blank canvas.” Three adjoining streets of “Rainbow Square” are connected by murals from other local artists Zoe Power and Eloise Henderson-Figueroa.

“It is such an honor to improve the look of the city for its residents and visitors,” Frootko said. “Everyone deserves to live in a wonderful environment and to love where they live.”