heartwarming story of special DL course from Harvard

"At 83, he finishes his Harvard degree: John Rigby completes his bachelor's degree 62 years after starting it [...] 'I never really thought about going back,' Rigby maintains, though he did apply for academic credit for his wartime experience. 'I thought I had enough for the degree, but a month later I got a letter saying, "You're one-half a credit short."' The residency requirement prevented his making up the credit in St. Louis. [...] John's son Jim Rigby and son-in-law Jim Olshefski got to talking one night, and eventually called Harvard to find out what John would need to do to finish his bachelor's degree. The residence requirement remained an obstacle. [...] A call went out to every professor in the history department that there was an unusual student who lacked one credit, and wanted to do a long-range course during the summer session. 'I was the only one to respond,' says Catherine A. Corman, an assistant professor in the history department. [...] Rigby completed a first-semester survey course of U.S. history by reading primary sources and e-mailing essays to Corman every week for six weeks."
-- http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2003/06.05/29-rigby.html

 

A sweet story indeed! 20 children and grandchildren will attend his graduation.

The irony, of course, is that by finishing his degree with a little American history with Prof Corman is that he may well have studied a period before the professor's time, and one in which he may have not only lived, but also may have been a player--for example, WWII.

--Orson

 

Irony

Same thing happened with Steven Speilberg (spelling?), as best as I can remember. He didn't do distant-learning, I don't believe, but he had classes in cinematograpy and directorship; the courses used . . . his movies! Go figure!

Starkman

 

Imagine being the prof trying to grade his papers.

 

A very nice story with an even better ending. There should be more people like Catherine Corman in teaching. How in the world could the rest have ignored John's case, baffles me.