Most people are thinking about slowing down at 67. Larry is just getting started.
As he prepares to graduate from The University of Texas Permian Basin, Larry is already looking ahead to his next chapter: teaching middle school students and making an impact in the classroom for years to come.
“One of the top things on my bucket list was to get my bachelor’s degree,” Larry said. “I want to do that for my grandkids to see that I could do that.”
Larry plans to continue teaching well into his seventies.
“I’m hoping to do it until I’m 75 because right now I’m 67. Six-seven as they say,” he said with a laugh.
For Larry, earning his bachelor’s degree has been a lifelong goal. He decided to return to school after a series of personal challenges.
In 2014, he was involved in a motorcycle accident that left him on disability for several years. Just over a year later, he lost his wife. During that difficult season, financial struggles began piling up.
“Things were kind of economically getting really bad,” Larry said. “I spent my savings, almost lost my house, and while I was on disability, I wanted to fight. Once I started getting work and moving around, I wanted to supplement my income.”
At the encouragement of his family, Larry decided to try substitute teaching, even though he wasn’t convinced it was the right fit.
“The first month I thought, this is horrible. I don’t want to do this anymore,” he said. “But after a while, I got a lot of response from teachers, faculty, and administration saying they wanted me to come back and serve some more, which I did.”
Over time, uncertainty turned into purpose and a new career path.
Now, Larry is part of UTPB’s Teacher Residency Program, which allows students to work in classrooms while completing their degrees. Teacher residents are hired by partner school districts and spend the full school year working alongside mentor teachers while earning a paycheck and completing coursework.
The program helps future educators graduate prepared to lead their own classrooms from day one.
Marsha Bridges, a faculty advisor in the Teacher Residency Program, said Larry stood out immediately because of his dedication and perseverance.
“I just saw such dedication to getting his degree completed,” Bridges said. “He knew how important it was for him to get into a classroom and make that impact for our future generation.”
Even with that support, the balance wasn't easy.
“Mrs. Bridges bless her heart. I went in going into this year, the first semester, and I just so overloaded that it's been semester after semester after semester, 12 to 18 credit hours plus working full time. And also I have my daughter and my two year old grandson living with me, so that's that's a challenge. But I went in and I told her I need to drop a class or two I'm just doing too much. She not only encouraged me to continue on with the classes I had, but she added another one," Larry said.
Bridges said she never doubted he could finish.
“He was just so devoted to getting this degree that I knew he would do what he needed to do to complete it,” she said. "So, yes, he wanted to drop a class and I was just like, Larry, let's just see how you are doing. If like in a week we need to look at it again, we can. And then he never came back to my office, so I figured it was good and it was."
That support from faculty made a major difference, and so did Falcon Free.
UTPB’s Falcon Free program covers tuition and mandatory fees for students from households earning $100,000 or less annually, helping remove financial barriers for students pursuing higher education.
“Falcon Free has really helped so many of our students overcome the financial challenges that there are when getting their degree," Dr. Sandra Woodley, UTPB President, said. "You know, affordability is an issue for many of our students, and the ability to graduate debt free with this amazing endowment from the UT System really provides that opportunity that would otherwise be unavailable to many of our students."
As he prepares to enter the classroom, Larry hopes to show his students it's never too late to accomplish their dreams.
“I really hope that my age is going to make a big difference,” Larry said. “I hope students can see me and understand that nothing should block your way. You go ahead whether it’s age or anything else.”
Now, the finish line is in sight, but it took some encouragement to get Larry to walk the stage.
“He’s so funny because he wasn’t going to walk the stage,” Bridges said. “I told him, ‘Oh yes, you are walking the stage.’”
“Until I walk the stage and know it’s done, that’s when it’s really going to feel good,” he said. “This was at the top of my bucket list.”
And while Larry is preparing to begin his teaching career, he is also looking forward to making the most of his summers off.
“I’ve never really had the money to go, and now I’m going to actually have the time and the money too. So I'd like to go to Europe, I would like to go see the American cemeteries, I want to go see Normandy, different beaches, and stuff like that,” Larry said.
Congratulations, Larry, on this amazing accomplishment!
