Around Town … with Robert Airoldi: 90-year-old becomes oldest student to graduate in Gavilan’s history

He found in later life that he wanted to earn a degree

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By Robert Airoldi

San Juan Bautista resident Ted Thoeny, 90, recently achieved a lifelong goal by graduating from Gavilan College with a degree in studio arts. Thoeny, who has had a successful career in civil engineering and construction, became the oldest graduate in the school’s history and received special honors at the May 24 ceremony.

Despite attending Stanford University in 1951 and San Mateo Junior College in 1955, Thoeny never completed his degree. He left for South America and “met a girl” there, and they both moved back to the U.S. and got married. He went to the University of New Mexico to work on a degree in geology, but soon his career took time away from college.

He found in later life that he wanted to earn a degree just to fill that part of his academic life.

“It only took 70 years to get it,” the nonagenarian joked of his scholarly accomplishment. “I always like to learn something new . . . The most important thing is to learn as much as you can and discover new things in the world.”

His advice for other senior citizens thinking about going back to college: “Find something you like. I found if you practice what you enjoy doing, then it’s fun. That’s what life should be.”

Thoeny’s children, Melissa and Ansel, were present at the graduation ceremony and expressed their admiration for their father’s curiosity, perseverance, and positive attitude.

Not one to rest on his laurels, Thoeny has already enrolled in summer courses to study astronomy and continue his art education, all while maintaining his life motto: “Just have fun.”

Appropriately for a life-long learner, Thoeny lives in a 100-year-old school house on the edge of San Juan Bautista. A school house seems appropriate for a scholar to make his home in.

The Mushroom Festival in Morgan Hill and Day on the Ridge in Gilroy have come and gone and the Friday Night Music Series has started. Another great music series is the Hollister Concerts and they kicked off their five-week run June 15 at Guerra Cellars.

The night began with Left of Center, the former house band at Toby Kieth’s Bar in Las Vegas, who are now touring the USA playing country hits. They were followed by Carrie Underwood, Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan tribute bands.

If  you’ve never been, it’s a great venue. The natural amphitheater overlooks the stage set into the foothills as the sun sets, turning the hills a gorgeous orange hue.

You can bring a picnic or try one of three food trucks: Hapa Bros., El Guapo, and Steakstop, and enjoy a cold beer or a glass of wine that are for sale.

For more information, visit www.hollisterconcerts.com. Tickets are available for the remaining four shows. They are tribute bands for Pearl Jam and Sublime July 13, Maroon 5 and Bruno Mars Aug. 3, Linda Ronstadt and the Eagles Aug. 24, and AC/DC and the Scorpions Sept. 14.

Hope to see you there!

Five graduating high school students and alumni of Charter School of Morgan Hill were awarded scholarships by the Charter School of Morgan Hill Foundation. In the past eight years, the CSMH Foundation has awarded more than $30,000 in scholarships to CSMH alumni for use in their pursuit of higher education at their chosen institutions.

While the criteria for selection includes academics, participation in intra or extra-curricular activities, a written essay is also required as part of the application. In these essays, it’s clear the project based learning model has set these students up for success as they navigated four years of high school.

Rigorous academics, team work, problem solving, research, and public speaking skills gained at CSMH not only provide the fundamentals for success but a well-developed passion for learning. This year’s recipients are Niko Armeniakos, Melissa Hansen, Veronica Howard, Laurence Huang, and Ray Ju. Congratulations!

While we’re offering congratulations, let’s add Marisa Otto, local Edward Jones financial advisor, to the list. She was recognized at the Momentum Conference as a high achieving advisor who has built and sustained a successful practice through leadership, service, advice and guidance.

“It’s a great honor to be recognized for the success of my practice and the experience my team and I deliver to our clients,” Marisa said.