96-year-old WWII vet to become oldest grad

This semester, the oldest undergraduate student at USC is redefining what it means to be a “super-senior.” 96-year-old World War II veteran Alfonso Gonzales is currently finishing up his last undergraduate unit in an elective course at the Davis School of Gerontology. If he passes, he will walk this spring with a bachelor’s degree in zoology as the oldest graduate in University history.

Before attending college, Gonzales enlisted in the Navy in 1942 and served as a Marine in Okinawa during World War II. After the war, Gonzales began his education at Compton Community College prior to transferring to USC in 1947 where he would come within inches of finishing his education.

Flash forward 69 years. What started with a family member’s attempt to secure his degree from the school quickly became an amazing opportunity, as the family member discovered that Gonzales was one unit shy of completing his undergraduate education.

“I thought all I had to do was go over there and pick up my diploma, but no, I was one unit short, they told me,” Gonzales told ABC7.

The discovery sparked a wave of excitement for the Gonzales family. Gonzales’ great niece Dorinda Geddes, 53, and nephew Mario Gonzales, 65, both of Hermosa Beach, described how receptive the administration was to helping Gonzales graduate and how quickly the whole process began.

“My cousin just wanted to get a copy of his degree, and they emailed her back that [Alfonso] was one unit short. So she did the footwork, and the process got rolling, and the professor contacted Mario, and Mario started bringing him down here,” Geddes said. “The day he was going to his first day of school I took a picture, and it went viral.”

Over the past few weeks, Gonzales has been working closely with Aaron Hagedorn, assistant professor of gerontology at Davis, in a directed study environment. The department chose Hagedorn for his affinity for and expertise in working with older adults.

“I have a passion for working with older adults,” Hagedorn said. “When we heard about this opportunity, they thought I would be able to relate well.”

Given Gonzales’ unique situation, Hagedorn tailored a one-unit elective from the framework of a popular four-unit course that would challenge Gonzales not only academically but also personally and emotionally.

“[The course is a] guided autobiography in which he will be writing his personal story and exploring self identity,” Hagedorn said. “I thought it would be perfect for somebody of his age and experience.”

Even though he’s writing his life story by hand, Gonzales is fully embracing the modern undergraduate experience. In addition to the course readings, he’s been exploring other educational mediums such as TED talks. He’s even been sitting in on freshman and senior seminars weekly. This new knowledge has seemed to inform his worldview in a profound way, such as a recent assignment Hagedorn gave to him about the idea of myth and the story of his life

“What I learned from that lesson is about attachment,” Gonzales said. “You begin to get attached since you’re born. The child gets attached to the mother, and when he gets older, he will get attached to his playmates.”

Gonzales has been able to apply these ideas to his adult life as well.

“I said, ‘Well, if we do this, then we do this in our senior and our adult stage,’” Gonzales said. “We get attached to unions, we get attached to clubs, to churches, and it’s all getting attached to one another in society. My attachment now is my family. When you get older, your attachment is to your family.”

Going back to school has come with its fair share of challenges for Gonzales. But remarkably, none of these seem to be as burdensome or relentless as Los Angeles traffic.

“Transportation is difficult, and I struggle a little bit in reading my assignment,” Gonzales said. “I have to pause when I read to comprehend it.”

On top of the weekly classes, Gonzales has stayed busy with all the new people he’s met during his return to school. Last Wednesday, he was honored at a USC sponsored ROTC event for veterans, at which he had the opportunity to cut a cake with former CIA Director Gen. David Petraeus and meet President C. L. Max Nikias.

“I felt like I was back at USC again,” Gonzales said.

The family has immense pride in Gonzales, who they call “Ponchie.” They see his journey as an inspiration and his strong will as a reminder that time is not a formidable barrier to accomplishment and that it’s never too late to finish what you started.

“I was always intrigued by him,” Geddes said. “I always knew he was someone special because he always seemed so intelligent to me. My grandma would always tell me, ‘Let’s go ask Alfonso, maybe he’ll know.’ He was always this genius to me, and this proves it.”

Gonzales only has a few more weeks of class before he finishes an unprecedented accomplishment for somebody of his age.

“We have had students in their 70’s and 80’s graduate,” said Maria Henke, associate dean of the Davis School of Gerontology. “Some of them have done it online with their masters degrees, but he’s by far the oldest undergraduate we’ve ever had.”

If Gonzales passes his course, he will walk as a graduate of the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences during the 2016 Commencement ceremony.