For 2 Graduates, Age Is a Matter of Degree

The Heiner family has always known the importance of a college degree. Doug Heiner is a professor of medicine, and nearly all of his nine children have earned at least one college diploma. So it was no surprise that his grandson, 24-year-old Douglas Fuller, graduated from Cal State Dominguez Hills last weekend with a bachelor’s degree in accounting.

It was another relative who might have caused a stir.

Joy Heiner, 67, Doug Heiner’s wife and Fuller’s grandmother, also graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the university on Saturday.

The ceremony marked a milestone for Joy Heiner, who left the University of Utah 50 years ago to marry her high school sweetheart and raise the couple’s children.

“I never regretted leaving, but I knew I would have been a better person if I had graduated,” said Joy Heiner, who graduated magna cum laude with a degree in English.

Heiner’s studies renewed her interest in reading and writing. She delighted in reading John Milton’s “Paradise Lost,” and she published a couple of articles in the university’s newspaper.

Heiner said her toughest challenge after enrolling at the university five years ago was completing the math requirement. She frequently studied late into the night to pass three preparatory courses before struggling through a class in finite math.

“The house didn’t stay as clean,” she said.

But her math skills multiplied.

“She was crafty and tenacious,” recalls William Armacost, the professor she credits with helping her through the course. He said she frequently solved challenging word problems with ease.

Doug Heiner said she sometimes cornered opponents after the couple’s tennis games to ask for assistance.

“When I finally learned I had passed, I just cried,” she said.

Joy Heiner studied alongside her husband, who often reads medical reports in the evenings. His companionship helped her persist through tough times, she said.

Although she graduated with Fuller, the two never studied together or took the same class.

Still, they did grow closer at the university. Fuller said he often visited with Heiner as the two passed on their way to classes.

“The first time it was a little unusual to see her there,” he said. But soon the novelty wore off. As for Heiner, she never considered her age while studying on the campus.

“I never really thought about it,” she said. “It’s a really diverse campus.”

“I’m so happy for her,” Fuller said. “She’s always put the family first, so this is just great.”

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Rancho Palos Verdes resident James Foxworthy recently was named a distinguished engineering educator by the Los Angeles Council of Engineers and Scientists. Foxworthy, professor of civil engineering at Loyola Marymount University, established the civil engineering department at Loyola Marymount in the late 1950s.

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Manhattan Beach resident Elsa Garmire recently won an associates award from USC, honoring the professor of electrical engineering and physics for creativity in research and scholarship. Telecommunication over optical fibers and information storage on compact discs are two areas advanced by Garmire’s research.

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Secretary of Transportation Federico Pena has named former Rancho Palos Verdes Councilwoman Jacki Bacharach to the National Commission on Intermodal Transportation. The commission will explore the designing of transit systems that coordinate the use of buses, trains, shuttles and cars.

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Hermosa Beach resident Elizabeth Yuan was named Outstanding Teaching Assistant by USC’s geology department. Yuan, a 1991 Occidental College graduate, tutors liberal arts majors in science.

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The California Optometric Assn. recently honored Torrance optometrist Debra Alexander as the Young Optometrist of the Year. Alexander is president of the South Bay Optometric Society.