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Ross, now 71, left UBC after two years to pursue appearing after which later regulation. After he retired he determined to complete his BA.
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Retired lawyer Arthur Ross has taken many paths in life—from appearing to regulation faculty— however he all the time needed to complete an arts diploma on the College of British Columbia that he began in 1969.
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Then, one fateful night time watching the opera in Chicago, he realized that he yearned to know extra about how the First World Battle began, and the penny dropped. Return to UBC and end what he began 54 years in the past.
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Now Ross, 71, will graduate this week from UBC with a Bachelor of Arts, main in historical past. HIs spouse and two of their three youngsters will be part of him for a celebration.
He jokes that he’s UBC’s “slowest” graduate.
“I all the time thought perhaps in some unspecified time in the future, I might return and attempt to end off that diploma. Simply as one thing to do,” he instructed Postmedia. “And it was stimulating, it sharpened my mind.”
Within the late 60s, Ross joined the throng of keen college students at UBC’s Vancouver campus making an attempt to determine what they need to do with their lives.
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He figured an English diploma would go well with him. However two years into an arts diploma he had developed a ardour for being on stage. After which, he was supplied the chance of a lifetime— to check appearing on the Nationwide Theatre College in Montreal.
“I cherished appearing however finally I didn’t need to make it my supply of earnings,” he mentioned. There was additionally a pivotal second after performing in a Chekov play, when he felt emotionally drained from the position.
“I simply thought to myself, I can’t do that, if I do it can take an enormous toll on me,” he mentioned.
So, Ross determined to make use of his debate and public talking expertise (which he figured may turn out to be useful in a courtroom) and went into regulation, which he studied at The College of Toronto.
He practiced regulation in Metro Vancouver for 35 years however all the time had it at the back of his thoughts that in some unspecified time in the future he’d love to return to UBC.
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After retiring in 2016, and having that revelation on the opera, Ross enrolled in a single UBC historical past course at a time.
“I simply wanted to reply that query. Why did that First World Battle spark? And I’ve no less than now come to phrases with that query.”
Whereas after six years he might have a brand new diploma, he doesn’t plan to start out one other profession. He’s content material to pursue his hobbies, akin to snowboarding, and is grateful for the chance and sense of accomplishment.
His recommendation to different retirees desirous about going again to school is to go for it. However don’t simply sit in on courses, he mentioned.
“It’s vital to do the studies and the exams. It sharpens your mind…And it’s a continuing reminder that regardless of how a lot you assume you recognize, you don’t know sufficient.”
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It didn’t matter to him that he was the oldest particular person within the classroom and he praised his fellow college students and lecturers for working by the pandemic within the usually tough digital setting.
“Over the previous couple of years, there’s not one in every of them that hasn’t had their training severely sidelined by COVID,” mentioned Ross.
“On-line is simply not the identical because the college life, the place you discuss to different folks earlier than and after class, or go for espresso and make new buddies. These folks I’m graduating with they caught to it, and I applaud them.”
Ross will cross the stage and at last settle for his diploma on Thursday.
ticrawford@postmedia.com
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