A 90-year-old woman walked the stage at UNT’s graduation ceremony on Sunday after earning her master’s in interdisciplinary studies. Minnie Payne says she hopes to live and work many more years before falling over at her computer.
A 90-year-old woman walked the stage at University of North Texas' graduation ceremony on Sunday.
Minnie Payne is the oldest graduate in university history. She finished her master's degree in interdisciplinary studies.
"The thought of slowing down doesn't occur to me," Payne said.
Payne earned her bachelor's degree in general studies in 2006 from TWU. She was 73 years old.
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"Before I started my undergraduate, I was to be at my desk at seven o'clock," Payne said. "I was a transcriptionist [and] word processor, and I would get up at 4:30, drink coffee, walk up and down my street three times in Carrolton, Texas, come in and write cheerful notes to shut-ins in my church, eat breakfast, take a shower, get ready and be at my desk."
After she got her degree, she worked as a copy editor for 16 years. Payne currently works for a Houston magazine, and she plans on working as long as she can.
"Hopefully I'll be able to live and work many more years," Payne said. "As a fellow journalist said, she wants to fall over at the computer and so do I."
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She doesn't have plans for a PhD, she says. However, Payne has an incredible journey to look back on and a feeling she can't shake.
"It's an awesome feeling," Payne said, holding back tears. "A feeling of gratitude to many people, a feeling of accomplishment."
