(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Good morning, I'm Michel Martin. Marie Fowler's father didn't learn to read or write until his children were old enough to teach him. That's just one reason, she says, he always pushed his kids to learn. She took that lesson to heart, although it took a while. This weekend, she earned her doctoral degree in ministry from Howard University at 83 years old. She already has her bachelor's and two masters, and she wasn't sure that at her age she could manage the work. She stayed the course, though. Howard says she's now their oldest graduate.
It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.