Skip navigation

Great-grandmother earns GED

79-year-old left school in eighth grade to farm in 1940s; hopes to inspire

Special feature
Tales of survival
A gator victim who got a new high-tech hand; a mom who woke from a coma; a police officer who flatlined twice. Learn how all these people and others came through life-threatening situations.
Slideshow
Image: A fan in Times Square reacts to a play while watching the New York Yankees play the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 6 before going on to win the 2009 Major League Baseball World Series in New York
  The Week in Pictures
Yankees fans, Pakistan train crash, festival of lights, Iran protest, rodeo clowns, H1N1, toddler bowling and more news and feature photos from around the globe.

more photos

updated 9:58 p.m. ET March 19, 2008

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Ola Mae Venable spent only three days in eighth grade before deciding she'd rather work on her family's farm.

That was in the 1940s. Now, at the age of 79, Venable is a great-grandmother and the proud holder of a diploma.

Venable earned a General Educational Development diploma on Tuesday when she passed her final math test.

Story continues below ↓
advertisement | your ad here

She sailed through science, social studies and other tests, but math didn't come easily. Venable spent the last five months studying practice tests and working with a tutor to learn algebra and geometry, The Winston-Salem Journal reports.

She said she didn't know it would be quite so difficult, but she was determined to finish. She didn't want to drop out of school twice.

Venable now has six grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. She hopes to inspire other people who think they're too old to finish school.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Sponsored links

Resource guide