Ethel H. Londelius, 102; Received College Degree at 97

Ethel H. Londelius, 102, who received her college degree at the age of 97. In 1918, Londelius left the University of Washington without a diploma after officials said she was half a unit short of qualifying for a bachelor’s degree in home economics. Embarrassed, she kept the secret from her own family for seven decades. But in 1991, her suspicious son wrote his mother’s alma mater for her transcript. University officials examined the records and decided to credit Londelius for her physical education courses--a subject taken without credit by students of her era but one that is credited today. The credit qualified her for a diploma dated Dec. 19, 1991, a lifetime after she had sadly returned her rented but unused cap and gown. At 97, she proudly hung the framed certificate in her living room--with none of the worries of fellow graduates about the uncertain job market. On June 18 in Glendale.