Never too Old to Learn

Humans are living longer.  Medical conditions that years ago were death sentences are now curable or manageable with treatment.  Seniors today are staying active physically and mentally.  They are dynamic people eager to explore new experiences.  Occasionally, I will post about Active Seniors.   

Men and women in their 50s, 60s and beyond are returning to school.  Many universities encourage retirees to attend school by decreasing fees and tuition.  Developers are building retirement communities affiliated with Dartmouth, Notre Dame and Cornell.  Access to university facilities is a benefit for their residents.  Many state universities allow seniors to audit classes for free.

 An outstanding star among older students is Nola Ochs.  She was 95 when she earned a B.A. in history at Fort Hays State University.  Three years later, she added a master’s degree in liberal arts.  Nola followed that success by serving as a graduate teaching assistant in the history department at her alma mater.  In 2011, she celebrated her 100^th birthday at a basketball game at Fort Hays and is now writing a book. 

 Nola said, “I would like, in the long run, to encourage people to keep on learning. Our education is never complete.”

 I agree with this nonagenarian.  In a few weeks, I will be starting classes at Butte College.  It will be an education learning to divide my time and energy between family, work and school.  Thank you to Tri-Counties Bank for awarding me a scholarship and to Linda Burkhart and Nancy Morgans-Ferguson for writing what must have been amazing letters of recommendation.

My son will also be attending Butte.  I promised not to embarrass Josh by sitting next to him in a classroom.  He scheduled all of his classes at a different campus. Guess he wanted to be sure I kept my promise.