AUSTIN, Texas -- A former University of Texas student had to wait 35 years to get an A on a college paper. Gregory Watson's professor gave him a C for that work in 1982.
- The 27th Amendment was ratified in 1992.
- The Dean of the McCombs School of Business signed off on grade change.
That paper focused on Congress' ability to vote on instant pay raises for itself. Watson left UT and went to state legislatures across the country to get the 27th Amendment ratified.
"It was part of a package of 12 amendments--10 of which became the Bill of Rights," Watson said.
The amendment, drafted in 1789, prevented Congressional lawmakers from giving themselves an immediate pay raise by delaying its effective date until after the next legislative cycle.
That happened in 1992, but he still had a C for that paper until this week.
"It seems as if it was actually easier to amend the federal Constitution than to get a grade corrected at the University of Texas," Watson said.
The Dean of the McCombs School of Business signed off Thursday on changing that grade to an A.
"Just as the ratification of the Amendment back in 1992 was a form of vindication, the grade change is also a form of vindication."
Watson credits the work of Zachary Elkins for changing the grade. Elkins is a government professor at UT Austin and learned of Watson's pivotal role in the ratification of the 27th Amendment.
"This really is a reflection, I think, of who he is as a person," Elkins said.
Elkins said his courses on the U.S. Constitution focus on how difficult it is to amend the document.
"That's in some ways why Gregory's story is so remarkable," Elkins said. "He could actually be responsible for one of the few amendments--and maybe the last amendment--that we will see in my lifetime."
Watson has spent his adult life as a legislative aide at the Texas Capitol. This session, he's the Legislative Director for Rep. Stephanie Klick, a Republican lawmaker from the Fort Worth area.