Students at the Purdue College of Technology at Lafayette surprised their 90-year-old classmate, Jerry Cole, with a birthday party after a class tour at Subaru of Indiana Automotive Oct. 16.
After his Lean Manufacturing classmates sang to him, he proclaimed, "I wish we could stay in class together forever!" The celebration included a card and note from Purdue President Mitch Daniels.
Cole is Purdue's oldest student, and he has been for several years. He earned an associate degree in 2012 and is scheduled to complete his bachelor's degree in organizational leadership and supervision in August 2015.
More information:
- Purdue Exponent article "Oldest undergraduate tenaciously pursues his bachelor's" from March 2013
- Boiler Bytes video "86-year-old student working on technology degree" from April 2011
- WIBC story "87-Year-Old Earns Degree from Purdue" from May 2012