COEUR d'ALENE - After a horrific vehicle accident nearly three years ago, Scott Busch was thankful just to be alive to receive his University of Idaho degree on Monday night.

And donning a graduation gown that's been worn by more than 40 family members for ceremonies for the past 100 years was icing on the cake.

At the ceremony at North Idaho College, Busch received his bachelor's degree in elementary education in the same black silk gown his great grandfather, James Coon, wore when he received a degree in history from Harvard in 1913.

"It's important for me to continue the tradition" said Busch, a 2006 Coeur d'Alene High graduate. "It means a lot. I'm in the Rite of Passage Club."

Busch became the 41st family member to have his initials, graduation year and college embroidered on the gown. It will next be sent to family member Myra McKitrick, a Lakeland High graduate who will be graduating from college later this month in the Washington, D.C., area.

David Coon, James' son, is the caretaker of the gown and an accompanying scrapbook in which graduates have written their biographies as part of the tradition.

"The gown has been worn quite often, but it's still in good shape," David said. "The Smithsonian Institute told us to use special paper to store it and we ship it in a special carton."

David's mother, Myra, who received a degree from Emerson College in Boston in 1922, also wore the gown. The initials of all eight of the couple's children are also on the outfit.

"My father and mother believed education was very important," David said.

Busch, a second-grade substitute teacher at Skyway Elementary in Coeur d'Alene, somehow survived a crash on July 26, 2010, at the intersection of Poleline and Huetter in the Post Falls area. He fell asleep at the wheel, the vehicle overturned multiple times and Busch was found 40 feet from the burning vehicle.

Busch doesn't recall if he was wearing a seatbelt, if he was ejected or crawled to safety.

"It's a huge mystery," he said. "I finally realized, 'You're not going to get an answer, so don't worry about it anymore."

Busch was unconscious for nearly a day and received several broken bones, but has fully recovered from the crash. It was a life-changing event.

"After the accident, I realized I almost died young," he said, adding that he became more goal-oriented as a result of the close call.

Busch said the accident prompted him to become a volunteer in Ecuador to give homeless children opportunities to get on the right path.

"That helped me learn about life outside the United States," Busch said.

Earning a college degree is another result of Busch seeing things differently.

"A college education will allow me to have a more fulfilling life," Busch said. "It's helped me live life with a purpose. I took the first class, and I've never looked back."