A 76-year-old man from Hartford said he wants his high school diploma 56 years after he was set to graduate.

Gerald W. Fothergill, or Mike as many know him, attended Hartford Public High School in the 1960s. In his senior year, he said he was expelled by the school board for walking out of school the day after the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“In 1963, when Kennedy died, they let us out of school,” Fothergill said. “So we were anticipating that they would do the same thing when King was assassinated.”

Fothergill said he was joined by hundreds of other students from the school as they walked to City Hall, where then Hartford Mayor Ann Uccello spoke with the group.

“We walked out of Hartford High,” he said. “I was not the leader. I was not the first to leave. In fact, I left out the back door.”

He said the remainder of the students at the school were let out early that day, but when he returned to school after the weekend, he was told he was expelled.

Hartford Public Schools’ spokesperson Jesse Sugarman confirmed that Fothergill’s transcript shows he withdrew, but said a reason is not listed.

Fothergill, whose brother was also in the class of '68, said he is asking the Hartford Public Schools’ Board of Education to grant him his diploma. In a statement, the board said it has approved an honorary degree program for residents like Fothergill who have extensive community service.

The 76-year-old has been a community activist and leader for over 50 years. His mother even wrote a letter to Dr. King about the state of Hartford Public Schools. She received a response commending her activism.

He said while he will accept an honorary degree, he still wants the real thing.

“I want my diploma. You denied me my diploma,” he said. “You can see and recognize my contribution to my community and willing to give me an honorary one, but you don’t want to give me a diploma, that I’ve exceeded in my educational pursuits.”

The Board of Education told NBC Connecticut that if he wants to receive an actual diploma, he must contact Adult Education for the next steps to meet the requirements set by the state.

“Give me written document as to what I was charged with,” Fothergill said. “I would love my diploma eventually, but I need to have these answers about this injustice. Why did you do this to me? What were the charges?"

The school board said it isn’t required to keep records after 50 years. Sugarman said he has encouraged Fothergill to contact the board liaison, but he hasn’t taken those steps.

Fothergill believes his role as a member of the Black Panther Party may have been the reason he was expelled.