In the spring of 2007, at age 95, Nola Ochs became the world's oldest college graduate, an accomplishment that realized a dream that began 77 years earlier.
Born in 1911 in Kansas, Nola always loved learning. In April of 1930, she began college with a correspondence course from Fort Hays State University in Kansas. Nola passed her teacher's certification exam and taught in county schools for four years before marrying. She lived a good, full life on the farm, raising four sons but there was always a yearning in Nola to learn more about the world she lived in.
After Vernon died in 1972 Nola began to consider resuming her formal education. Her first class was in 1978, a tennis class at the Dodge City Community College. Nola commented, "I had fun; for 10 years I just took classes that were of interest to me...And then one of the professors came to me and told me if I would take college algebra, I would have enough credit hours to graduate from Dodge City Community College...so I tried it and I made it fine." At the age of 77, Nola received her Associates degree.
She recalled, "It wasn't long before I was going back to the Dodge City Community College just for fun. Then pretty soon I decided I wanted to graduate from a four year college and I contacted Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas."
Nola moved the 100 miles from her farm to live in an on-campus apartment at Fort Hays State University. As a student of history, Nola has brought a refreshing perspective to her classes as she's shared her personal experiences...
Did you know we offer free posters and DVDs to schools, colleges and universities, non-profits, hospitals, churches, and corporations? The TV spots act as great values-based discussion starters for students, employee training sessions, and small groups; the posters are an easy way to create a positive atmosphere in any work place or classroom. Visit www.forbetterlife.org/resource_center/educator.asp to request your materials today! If you would like to preview the TV spots and posters, please visit: www.forbetterlife.org/be-inspired/tv or www.forbetterlife.org/be-inspired/billboards.
We learned this past year that colleges and universities across the country are just as excited about these materials as high schools and elementary schools are. Some are playing our spots on the jumbo-trons at sporting events while others are using our billboards as screensavers on all the computers campus-wide. In response to this interest, we have put together a "how-to" sheet. If you are interested please feel free to contact Brooke Nord at brooke@forbetterlife.org.
We’ve created an easy way to add The Foundation for a Better Life Quote-of-the-Day to your MySpace, Facebook, blog, or other webpage. Now you can pass our inspirational quotes on to everyone who visits your webpage!
Wouldn't it be nice to wake up every day to an inspirational message? You can with our Quote-of-the-Day email! Every weekday we send out a new thought-provoking quote based on our value theme for the week. Every week a new value, every day a new quote. To sign-up visit our inbox inspiration center here and don't forget to Pass it On!
Visit our sister foundation, The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation, with ideas on how to promote Random Acts of Kindness in your school, community, or personal life.
the FBL Good Newsletter
