CSAJournal
Technologies to Support People “Aging with Disability”Number 67 | Vol. 3, 2016Erika T. Walker
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We hope you enjoy these inspirational stories about people who have shifted the way society typically thinks of aging, and will share these experiences and insights with others. BY ERIK A T. WALKER, MBA , MSED, CSA
Learning Never Grows OldAt this time of year, recent college graduates are look-ing forward to initiating their careers. As William Shakespeare coined, “The world is their oyster!” You can do or achieve anything you want in life with your hard-earned knowledge, freedom, and opportunities. So what motivates older adults to go back and receive degrees later in life? Many are finishing up careers, have raised families, or are looking to find ways to re-lax and reflect. The following stories take the concept of lifelong learning to the next level. They challenge each one of us to think about our own third age and consider if we have the drive or motivation to “go back to school.”
WVUs Oldest Newest Graduate: Woodworking was the “Key”It takes most graduates four to six years to complete a degree. For Anthony Brutto, now ninety-four years
old, it has taken a lifetime. He first entered Western Virginia University in 1939, when tuition was just $50, but left when he was drafted in the Army Air Corps in 1942. Brutto returned to WVU in 1946, but again, right before finishing his degree, he had to withdraw to take care of his ill wife. Seventy-six years later, he finally earned a Regents Bachelor of Arts degree on May 17, 2015. What a model of persistence!
His lifelong interest in design and woodworking began as a young child when his mother hid can-dy in a locked box. Whittling a key from wood, he unlocked access to the sweet treasure. That was his “light-bulb” moment. He would make things that people could use. Next, he wanted to hone his skills through formal education.
When Brutto entered WVU in 1939, he was de-termined to graduate in four years. He first majored in engineering, which he figured matched well with
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his passion for design and creating. It proved diffi-cult, though, and he felt as if he did not have ade-quate guidance. “So, I switched to physical education and industrial arts,” he says. “I worked in the shop with wood and did metalworking. I started making jewelry.”
After the war, Brutto began working in a local ce-ment plant with his father and brothers, but he was still determined to go back to school and re-enrolled at WVU, After dropping out to care for his wife, he took the skills he learned while at WVU and in the Army and applied them to his future careers. For much of his working life, he was a machinist at dif-ferent factories and plants.
When Brutto applied to the Regents Bachelor of Arts program, it cost a bit more than his $50 college tuition in 1939. But, for him, finally completing his bachelor’s degree has a worth above money. “It was always important to me to graduate,” he says. Now, he can make a beautiful wood frame for his diploma. As WVU’s oldest newest graduate at ninety-four. Brutto made global headlines. His story was fea-tured in Time, CNN, The Washington Post, Huffington Post, People, and the London Daily Mail, just to name a few.
“He didn’t let anything in his life or the challeng-es that he faced keep him from his ultimate goal,” said April Kaull, assistant director of WVU’s Uni-versity Relations.
Brutto was honored at the graduation ceremony by the University President, Gordon Gee. “Thank you for serving our country, for taking care of your family, and for being a true Mountaineer,” Gee said. Asked if he plans to pursue a master’s degree, he chuckles and says, “No. I think I’ll take a break for a while.”
West Virginia University Cronicles. http://chronicles.wvu.edu/meet-the-grads/anthony-brutto.
YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-x4Ygb78nx4
Ninety-Nine Year Old Graduate: “This is My Dream Come True”Doreetha Daniels has been studying at the communi-ty college in Santa Clarita, California since 2009, de-termined to earn her degree. Unlike Anthony Brutto, Doreetha waited to enter college until after she lived through a number of watershed moments in Ameri-can history, including the Great Depression, World War II, the Civil Rights movement, the moon land-ing, and the rise of the Digital Age. All of these events pale in comparison to what happened in June 2015 when she graduated from the College of the Canyons, earning her associates degree in social sciences.
At ninety-nine years old, Daniels is the oldest graduate in the university’s history. In a college press release, she said she wanted to finish her education to better herself. Her grandchildren who were working on their masters degrees inspired her. But her journey has been wrought with personal difficulties…from multiple strokes to sight and hearing issues, to the re-vocation of her driver’s license. College officials said Daniels also struggled sometimes with college level math, statistics, and computer literacy, and became a regular at the Tutoring and Learning Center. Not let-ting her age get in her way, she was touted as “one of the most dedicated and hardworking students” in the statistics class.
“Doreetha is resilient. She demonstrates grit,” said her counselor, Liz Shaker. “She inspires students. Her desire to get out of bed each day, come to school, and face the challenges in and outside of the classroom inspired us all.”
Anthony Brutto. Source: West Virginia University Chronicles
Doreetha Daniels. Source: USA Today Network, June 8, 2015
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At her graduation, Daniels earned cheers and tears from the audience as she shared at the podium the following thoughts. “Ninety-nine, here I am! I ac-complished what I wanted to do and this is my dream come true.”
USA Today. 2015. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/06/08/99-year-old-woman-graduates-from-college/28701339.
YouTube video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i98lVo5qUoo
It’s Never too Late When You Love LearningUntil she was ninety-eight years old, Twila Boston never quite got her bachelor’s degree because life got in the way. Getting an education was expected of members of her family. She just never got around to getting her diploma until now because she took on a career in taking care of others. Like many other adult learners, Boston took classes at the school years ago, but failed to finish her degree.
In 2012, Boston called the university and told fac-ulty she wanted to complete the credential she started forty years ago. Since she had only a few credits left to complete, the College of Humanities at Utah State University helped her finish a degree in American Studies. Boston has trouble getting around so the school let her develop a lengthy oral presentation on American history in lieu of a class. Though the modest one-time nurse would have preferred to re-ceive her diploma by mail, school officials convinced Boston to attend the graduation ceremony. Proud family members flew in from the East Coast for the celebration.
Michelle Tobin, Boston’s granddaughter, said she is truly an inspiration to her family members, as well as other adults considering going back to school to earn
a bachelor’s degree. “I think it’s cool,” she stated. “She’s showing her grandkids and great-grandkids that it’s important to get an education regardless of age.”
Boston didn’t think the graduation was that big of a deal, but many people thought otherwise. As one of a graduating class of more than 3,300, Boston said she shouldn’t be seen as any more special than the rest of the students. She stated she finished that degree for one simple reason — her love of learning. The chal-lenge of getting around is really the only thing keeping her from taking more classes. “Yeah. Why not? All I do is read,” Boston said. “Somebody asked me what I read, and I said, ‘everything.’” Her advice for fellow grads is fairly simple: “Go out and do whatever you want, in whatever you want to do for the rest of your life.”
Deseret News. 2012 http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865555489/98-year-old-proves-its-never-too-late-to-graduate.html?pg=all.
KSL.com. 2012. http://www.ksl.com/ ?nid=148&sid=20327607
Erika T. Walker, MBA, MSeD, CSA, is owner and CEO of SAGE WAVE Consulting, LLC, in Greer, South Carolina. She conducts strategic planning with businesses and communities across the country
to help them prepare for the growing aging population. She has served as director of the SAGE Institute, and director of geriatrics at Greenville Hospital system. Contact her at 864-313-9691, or visit www.sagewave.net.
■ RESOURCES
Anderson, Mike. May 9, 2012. “98-Year-Old Proves It’s Never Too Late to Graduate” Deseret News. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865555489/98-year-old-proves-its-never-too-late-to-graduate.html?pg=all. Accessed May 4, 2016.
Groux, Catherine. July 9, 2012. “98-Year-Old Utah Woman Finishes College Degree.” US News University Directory. http://www.usnewsuniversitydirectory.com/articles/98-year-old-utah-woman-finishes-college-degree_12498.aspx#.VykBCXqUKFs. Accessed May 4, 2016.
Jones, Jaleesa, June 8, 2015. “99-Year-Old Woman Graduates from College.” USAToday. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/06/08/99-year-old-woman-graduates-from-college/28701339. Accessed May 4, 2016..
Wyatt, Adrian. May 2015. “Anthony Brutto: This 94-Year-Old Started His College Career Way Back In the 40s And Is Finishing Up Some 70 Years Later.” http://chronicles.wvu.edu/meet-the-grads/anthony-brutto. Accessed May 4, 2016.Twila Boston (right). Source: Deseret News Utah, May 9, 2012
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