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| Carpe Diem at Any Age | |
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In 2002, at the age of 67, Mack began a master’s degree program at CUA. He earned his M.A. in world politics in 2004 —with a grade point average of 3.92 — and plans to finish his Ph.D. in 2007, when he will be 72. The adventure started back in 2001 when this association executive had already been retired for two years. He was reading a book on the future of European democracy with his feet up on his ottoman when, he recalls, “The light bulb came on in my head. I said to myself, ‘I loved studying political science when I was in college. That’s what I want to go back to now.’ ” Mack is one of several CUA students in their 60s or 70s who are working on their Ph.D.s. Most of these students are considering second careers as professors, teachers or academic administrators. Mack’s dissertation will focus on the question of why some major political parties disappear. For example, America’s Whig Party died out in the 1850s and Canada’s Progressive Conservative Party went from being the ruling party in 1993 to extinction 10 years later. “Charley is an extraordinarily motivated and gifted student,” says Assistant Professor of Politics Kirk Buckman. The professor jokes that Mack’s mathematical skills need work, however, because, “when asked to write a 20-page essay, he writes 60 pages. I am always astounded by his commitment to learning and his youthful intellectual spirit.” One academic goal of the 70-year-old student is keeping his mind exercised and sharp — and avoiding the fate of his mother, who died of Alzheimer’s disease. What is Mack’s advice for keeping the aging mind alert and, in general, “seizing the day”? “Be curious,” he replies. “Have a wide range of interests. Defenestrate the television set [i.e., throw it out the window] and read. Do things that keep your brain cells buzzing. “But,” he adds, “you have to love whatever you decide to do, otherwise you won’t stick to it. “The tendency on the part of people I know who are in or near retirement is to say, ‘I’ve been working all these decades. Now I can let go.’ I think that’s a great mistake. If anything, find something to do that stiffens your self-discipline rather than relaxes it. Otherwise, you’ll go to pot. There are always new horizons, always something you can do that will be productive and that uses your skills and interests.” Another CUA grad student in his 60s is Luigi De Luca, a National Institutes of Health biochemist who is working toward his Ph.D. in Greek and Latin. For him, these languages are not only a passion but a refreshing change of pace. “The field of classics is nearly the opposite of the field of biotechnology and gives you the time to ponder the importance of language,” says De Luca, 64. “It is reassuring that there is only one Aeneid and I can enjoy it, rather than wondering — as I do when reading a biomedical study — whether this is the latest word on the subject.” – R.W. |
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By the time they reach their 60s, many people are pulling back from life and its risks. Others, like Charles Mack, are throwing themselves into long-term adventures, preparing for new careers. 