It’s never too late…

April 27, 2007

When 95-year-old Nola Ochs graduates next month, she will be theworld’s oldest college graduate. The record Ochs will break, accordingto Guinness World Records, belongs to Mozelle Richardson, who at age 90in 2004 received a journalism degree from the University of Oklahoma. On Thursday, the Kansas Legislature honored Ochs with praise and standing ovations. Ochs did not plan to break records. She started taking classes at acommunity college after her husband of 39 years, Vernon, died in 1972.A class here and there over the years, and she was close to havingenough hours for an undergraduate degree. Last fall, Ochs moved the 100 miles from her farm to an apartment atFort Hays State University to complete the final 30 hours to get ageneral studies degree with an emphasis on history.
An added joy for Ochs is that her 21-year-old granddaughter, Alexandra Ochs, will graduate with her.
“How many people my age have a chance to hang out with theirgrandmothers? She’s really accepted by the other students,” Alexandrasaid. “They enjoy her, but probably not as much as I do.” With her white hair pulled into a bun, Nola Ochs walks purposelydown hallways to classes with her books in a cloth tote bag. Studentsnod and smile; she is described as witty, charming and down to earth. “Everybody has accepted me, and I feel just like another student,” she said. “The students respect me.”