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When my grandfather Mervin (who invented all kinds of hairclips back in the 1930s) was 86, he went out and bought a sewing machine and taught himself to sew. He liked to take apart shirts he already owned—ones he loved to wear all the time—and then turn them into patterns so he could make new ones.
I remember thinking: who, at 86, takes on anything new on such a major level? He lived to 92, and never stopped making clothes for the family. But his story pales by comparison to Phyllis Turners. Recently, she became the world’s oldest person to earn a university masters degree at, are ready for this? – a ridiculously impressive 94 years-old!
From Reuters:
Turner left primary school at 12 to help her mother look after her siblings after her father left the family. She returned to study almost 60 years later, enrolling at the prestigious Adelaide University [that’s in Australia, mates!] to study anthropology at age 70, winning honors in 2002 before moving on to her masters.
So here’s to all those dogs who aren’t afraid to learn new tricks. It’s reassuring to remember that in another, oh, 40 years, I could teach myself Chinese or learn to drive a grunegruytherphit. What? Never heard of a grunegruytherphit? Check back with this blog in 40 years…
David, thanks for this post. I’m 34 and frequently depressed that because I have yet to finish my degree, have any great adventures, get married or have kids or have had any outward success, my life is over. Reading these kinds of things not only interest me, they can get me through a tough day by reminding me that if I take care of my health, I have plenty of time to almost anything I want.
As an aside, I’d like to thank your grandfather. From the picture I can see that he is the man responsible for making it easier to blow-dry my hair!
posted by Allison on 8-6-2007 at 7:23 am
This is a terrific way to start a monday. The lesson here isn’t to wait till you’re 90 though, but to live the kind of life where you take advantage of any opportunity to learn. I’m absolutely convinced that keeping your mind active is the surest path towards longenvity.
posted by Scott on 8-6-2007 at 7:40 am
My B.S. alarm is clanging.
Who’s going to fail an old lady? Great PR for Adelaide.
posted by GoingLikeSixty on 8-6-2007 at 8:22 am
At the age of 67+ (it’s a year later now) I taught myself html code so I could help my best friend maintain his theater company’s web site. I never think that there’s anything I can’t learn, and I intend to go on being open to this concept until I check out. Plus, it seems to be a possible Alzheimer’s preventative strategy–challenge, that is. I have an elderly friend who literally reads a book a day at age 83. Just because he’s slowly dying from heart failure is no reason, in his mind, to curtail his lifelong thirst for knowledge. I’m sure he’ll die with a book (and his cat) in his lap.
posted by dolly on 8-6-2007 at 10:20 am
When I entered college as a freshman in 1985, we had a celebrity freshman: an 83-year-old man from Japan named Hideo Takeuchi who won a year’s education at the college for placing first in an English-language speech contest. His speech title? “You’re Never Too Old to Learn.” He didn’t learn English until after his retirement from his job as a dietician.
Mr. Takeuchi was a hoot. He was a very conscientious student and excruciatingly polite, but he wasn’t above getting tipsy at student parties and hugging all the girls. He returned to Japan after that one year and apparently became very popular on a lecture circuit.
More power to anybody over 65 who wants to do something besides watch TV or play golf.
posted by ansav on 8-6-2007 at 1:58 pm
thanks allison! i’ll pass it along in the next life. he was quite a guy. you would have enjoyed speaking with him, i’m sure.
posted by David on 8-6-2007 at 10:53 pm
My favorite “Old dog, new trick” story is the actor Burt Mustin. He moved to California when he retired as a car dealer and got into acting. You’ll know him as the old guy (who shows up) in a bunch of TV shows from the 60’s and 70’s.
to spell his name I went to:
www.imdb.com/name/nm0615993
posted by Tdave on 8-7-2007 at 1:13 am