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‘Mr. Belding’ Tells Us Why He Went Back to School & Finally Got His Degree

Dennis Haskins/Instagram

  Actor (and Chattanooga native) Dennis Haskins is so synonymous with RichardBelding, the Bayside High School principal he played on Saved By The Bell, that he uses @mrbelding as his Twitter handle.

However, in spite of his signature role as an educator, he never finished college.  In this story, he tells us why, at age 65, he finally returned to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga to finish his degree. 

On December 12, he put on his blue cap and gown and gold sash and got his diploma.

“I'm proud to be from Chattanooga,” he says.  “I'm proud to be a Moc.  And I'm proud to be a graduate.”

He received a bachelor of arts degree in theater.

WUTC's Mary Ollie Newman and Dennis Haskins stand together at a reception honoring Haskins that took place December 11th at the UTC Fine Arts Center.