73-year-old who earned UMaine degree featured in Ellsworth American
The Ellsworth American published a feature article on Walter Grenier II, who at 73 years old completed his bachelor’s degree in university studies from the University of Maine earlier this year. The degree comes nearly 56 years after Grenier first enrolled in college at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1961, according to the article. Grenier’s challenge at the time was paying his way through school. “I just ran out of money and I went to work,” the Lamoine resident recalled. In 2009, Grenier retired to live in Maine. Five years later, he got in touch with Barbara Howard, director of the Bachelor of University Studies program at UMaine. “She said based on my age and my background and grades that they would provide a scholarship for me, so I grabbed it,” said Grenier, who took classes in anthropology, film and literature. “The quality of the professors there was the most enriching educational experience I’ve had.”