At 105, Virginia Hislop Got Her Master’s Degree in Education

Virginia “Ginger” Hislop of Yakima, Washington, 105, admits she’s given up a few things, like owning dogs, golfing and hosting big dinner parties.

But she’s never given up her love of learning. Last June, Hislop traveled to Palo Alto, California, to accomplish something she left unfinished back in 1941: She picked up her master’s degree in education from Stanford University.

“It was long overdue,” she says.

Hislop didn’t need more coursework. She had completed it all before leaving campus abruptly 83 years earlier to marry fellow student George Hislop. He’d been called up for military duty and she wanted to travel with him.

As an Army wife, Hislop spent time at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and Camp Roberts, California. Once her husband’s service ended and he returned from a deployment to the Philippines, the couple and their two children settled in Yakima, where George was a sheep rancher.

Hislop never pursued her earlier dream to become a teacher. But once her children were in school, she found a different calling in education. Over several decades, she served on the boards of the Yakima School District and two area colleges.

Hislop has outlived her husband and children. Today, she lives independently, with regular check-ins from her son-in-law, Doug Jensen. Her four grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren all attended the outdoor graduation ceremony at Stanford.

She spoke with AARP about what life is like well into her 11th decade. The conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Hislop left Stanford to marry George Hislop, who'd been called into the military during World War II. She stayed involved in education throughout her life.

Courtesy Charles Russo for Stanford University.

If you had to pick one reason that you’re still thriving, what would it be?

I think luck has a great deal to do with it. I come from very healthy stock. My mother lived well into her 90s. Women on my mother’s side of the family seem to live long lives.

What are you looking forward to when you get out of bed every morning?

Well, most of the year, I’m interested in what’s going on in the garden. And of course, I’m interested in what my grandchildren are doing. And then I like to know what the national news is and the international news and how it affects the markets. And then I usually have a book or two going. I read quite a lot.

What would you tell your 20-year-old self today?

The world is not going to come to a crashing end because you don’t get your way. So many things that you plan on don’t come to fruition, and you better be able to manage that and make the best of what does appear. I never thought I’d be an Army wife, and I spent five years in that role. At 105, I still have surprises that come up and I think, Oh gracious, what am I going to do about this?

How about your 50-year-old self?

Probably I’d say, don’t stew too much about your children. You’ve done the best you can bringing them up and giving them standards. What they do from here on out, you can stand back and look at, hopefully, and admire and keep your fingers out of it.