At 98, Ethel Londelius is oldest person to earn a UW degree
You probably felt like it took you a long time to graduate, but Ethel Johnson Londelius has one up on you. Last December, the UW awarded her a bachelor’s degree in home economics, 77 years after she first enrolled. At the age of 98, she is the oldest person ever to receive a degree from the University.
“I cannot tell you how thrilled I was to receive the news,” Londelius wrote in answer to the letter informing her that the degree would be awarded. “I remain in good health and hope to cherish my degree … for years to come.”
Now proudly displayed on her living room wall, the diploma was originally denied to Londelius in 1918 because she was half a credit short of the 180 required for graduation. But instead of returning to school, she took a job as a secretary, married and kept secret the fact that she had never graduated.
But her son Frank was suspicious because he had never seen any evidence of his mother’s college graduation. So, last year he wrote and asked for a copy of her transcript. When it arrived, she finally admitted that her degree remained incomplete. Fortunately, when staff in the registrar’s office looked up her records, they noticed that Londelius had taken some physical education courses, which hadn’t counted toward graduation in 1918. Some 20 years ago, however, the University began accepting up to three such credits.
That gave Londelius two and a half to spare, and, as she had completed all the requirements for general education and in her home economics major, Richard Simkins, director of Academic Counseling, decided to go ahead and award her degree. To celebrate her achievement, the UW Alumni Association has also presented Londelius with a lifetime membership.