Still Cracking the Books at 95

A friend just sent me this article saying this woman reminds her of my Aunt Ruth. I couldnt' agree more:

Nola Ochs is a living textbook. During history courses, the 95-year-old regaled her much younger classmates with memories of dodging the dust storms in the 1930s that threatened to destroy her family farm in Kansas. “It was dark as night, even after we turned the lamps on,” Ochs says. She also shared tales of cattle drives, life as a farmwife, and living without running water.

Ochs made history when she graduated in May 2007 with a bachelor’s degree from Fort Hays State University in Kansas. She’s the oldest college graduate in the world and will be entered in Guinness World Records 2008.

Learning keeps her alive, she says. Come September, Ochs plans to head back to school--and start working on her master’s degree. “There’s something within me that wants to keep learning,” she says. “I just can’t quit.”

Still sprightly, Ochs checks her e-mail every morning before breakfast, and drives her own car. “I encourage the elderly to keep up their driving skills,” she says, recommending American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) refresher courses for confidence boosters.

What’s her secret to a healthy and productive longevity? Don’t dwell on your age. “People think I’m supposed to be sitting in a chair, crocheting,” she says, laughing at the thought. “If we don’t think about how old we are, that helps give us the enthusiasm to get up and do something.” Her son, Alan, attributes his mother’s vitality to her good attitude.

At age 91, Aunt Ruth still drives, has high-speed internet, and e-mails on a regular basis. (She always tells me she'll "send me a wire".) According to the article, Nola is planning on going on a crusie to the Caribbean this summer with her granddaughter. Aunt Ruth and I went on a cruise to Alasksa together last summer and she is rearing to go on another cruise after I graduate from my PhD program.

Hats off to both wonderful ladies!