Today@Sam Article

Oldest SHSU Graduate Celebrates 100th Birthday

Sept. 11, 2015
SHSU Media Contact: Tammy Parrett

Laura Thresher Johnston earned her master's degree in 2005 at the age of 90. Above, she is hooded by Terry Thibodeaux and former College of Education Dean Genevieve Brown. — Photos by Frank Krystyniak

She was born in a time when women could not vote. She’s lived through two world wars, the Great Depression and the Civil Rights Movement. She watched with awe as the United States began the race to space and as computers went from a technology that required special training to a something you can carry around in your pocket, or even on your wrist.

Laura Thresher Johnston in her undergraduate days.

Laura Thresher Johnston made history in 2005 when she became the oldest student to walk across the stage at Sam Houston State University, receiving her bachelor’s degree in Spanish at the age of 85. Five years later, she raised that bar even higher, as she graduated with a Master of Arts in history at the age of 90. 

This year will not only mark the 10-year anniversary of her graduation; it also marks her 100th birthday, which she celebrated on Sept. 3.

Johnston grew up in Massachusetts, where she raised three daughters with her husband. She earned a degree in nursing in 1936, a time when only two blood types had been discovered, and worked in the field for 30 years.

Ready for a new adventure, she began to travel across the United States at the age of 55 and eventually settled in Miami, where she worked as a waitress.

That was the first time she’d ever heard someone speak Spanish. 

She was immediately drawn to it, thinking to herself, “That’s so pretty. I want to learn it.”

After her efforts to convince her grandchildren to learn the language and teach her failed, she began to look for another answer to her problem.

Shortly after moving to Point Blank with her daughter, she chose to sit in on Spanish classes at SHSU for no credit for two years before deciding to enroll and pursue a degree. She then decided that if she could pass the classes anyway, she might as well try and get a degree out of it. 

“She always said that we inspired her,” said her daughter Jeanette Walker. “We inspired her to go back and keep learning and chasing new experiences.” 

It wasn’t long after she received her bachelor’s degree that she decided she wasn’t done learning, so she decided to apply for graduate school and pursue a master’s degree in a subject she was already extremely knowledgeable in–history.

“She’s lived through more history than most would ever hope to,” Walker said. “So it made sense for her to study history. She wasn’t learning as much as she was reminiscing the events she witnessed first-hand.”

Johnston believes that her age was an advantage in the classroom, and not because she expected or received any special treatment from professors or students. She says she was able to enjoy the experience more than younger students because there was no pressure associated with her degree. She knew that she wasn’t doing it so she could go out and get a job, and she had already raised her family, so she didn’t need the degree to support anyone; she only wanted to learn.

Ten years later, and her exuberance for life hasn’t changed at all. 

“She just turned 100, but she won’t believe it if you tell her that,” Walker said. “When she looks at herself, she still sees the 35-year-old woman who lives inside of her.” 

While you probably won’t catch her swimming in Lake Livingston with the alligators and water moccasins anymore, you’re even less likely to find her sitting around wasting her time. 

Johnston was interviewed by KPRC-TV in Houston for her milestone achievement.

“She spends a lot of time puttering around the house, but she’s still as energetic as she was 10 years ago,” said Walker. “She likes to work in her garden, crochet and read. She spends a lot of time online; she loves being able to get on the computer and keep in touch with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren who live all over the country.”

Not too long after receiving her master’s degree, Johnston was considering a return to the university for a doctorate. On her way to Huntsville to speak to an adviser, a drive she’d made thousands of times, her eyes wandered for a split second and when she looked up, she was on the wrong side of the road. She turned around, returned home, and hasn’t driven since. 

She may not be a familiar face to new SHSU students, but whenever she and her daughter come into Huntsville, she is always recognized and approached by those whose lives she’s influenced over the years. 

“Every time we come into town, someone stops her and tells her that she was their inspiration to finish their degree,” said Walker. “They’ll say, ‘If you could do it at the age of 90, there is no excuse for me to not be able to do the same,’ and she loves it. She’ll tell anyone who listens to quit whining and ‘get off your butt and just do it.’

“She’s had a great life. She’s healthy, and there’s nothing wrong with her mind,” said Walker. “But no matter when her story ends, she’s happy because she’s accomplished everything she’s ever wanted to do. And that’s all anyone can ask for.”

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