 Michael Vollmer Commissioner |
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Press Release
96
Year-Old LaGrange Man to Get His GED Diploma LaGrange, Ga. - “I never received my high school diploma because I flunked Latin in my senior year of high school. I was scheduled to take it again in the summer, but the Latin teacher didn’t have enough students to put together another class. So I never finished high school.’ ‘That was around 1926. I just went to work, got married and started a family. The years passed by, but I knew I’d missed out on something special by never getting that diploma. My family knew it was important, so they encouraged me to get my GED.’ ‘It may be almost 80 years later, but I took the test and passed!” This quote comes from Thurman Barnes, who just earned his General Educational Development (GED) diploma at the age of 96. To mark the occasion, Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education Commissioner Michael Vollmer will come to West Georgia Technical College on Monday, December 12th to personally present Barnes with his diploma. Barnes’ wife of 71 years, Sophia, along with his two children and some of his grandchildren will be in attendance to see him receive this very special honor from the Commissioner. A representative from the American Council on Education’s national GED Testing Service in Washington, D.C. will also make the trip to LaGrange to note Barnes’ achievement. The presentation has significance for Commissioner Vollmer, whose agency manages Georgia’s Adult Literacy Program. “Obtaining your GED can change your life and fulfill your goals, even if you’re 96 years-old,” said Vollmer. “Thurman Barnes inspires us all to know just how important completing an education should be in everyone’s life.” According to Mr. Barnes, it was his two children, a son, 64, and daughter, 61, who persuaded him to come back and take the GED test. “I’m so glad that I did,” said Barnes. “You’re never too old to get your diploma. If I can do it, anyone can.” Barnes came to the Adult Literacy Program at West Georgia Technical College (WGTC) and began working with his instructor, Jeanne Dumais. “My eyesight isn’t what it used to be, so I needed some extra help. Ms. Dumais read aloud from all five of my books. She’d ask me questions and I’d answer them,” said Barnes. “She was wonderful and very patient with me.” WGTC’s Chief GED Examiner, Jane Carwell, administered the five-part GED test, which consisted of science, social studies, math, reading, and writing. Because his vision is too poor to read or write, Barnes listened to an audio cassette of the test. “I dictated my writing essay to the examiner,” said Barnes. “I told her when to capitalize a sentence, where to put the punctuation, and when to begin a new paragraph. I talked, she wrote.” He took one test per day and passed them all on his first attempt. In fact, he scored far better than average on all five parts, particularly excelling in science and in social studies. “I’ve lived through most of what’s happened over the last 100 years, so social studies was easy for me,” said Barnes. The math exam took the longest for him, but that’s because he didn’t use a calculator like other students. Barnes grew up in Arkansas, Colorado and California. Around the time he quit school, Hoover followed Coolidge as president and the nation was headed for the Great Depression. It was also the time when Babe Ruth was blasting home runs for the Yankees and Lindbergh was about to make history with his transatlantic flight from New York to Paris. He worked as a landscaper after leaving school then married Sophia in 1934. The Barnes family settled in LaGrange in 1952 and he farmed for the next 20 years until the land he owned was purchased to become West Point Lake. No longer a farmer, he learned to be an appliance repairman and later owned his own business, Barnes Appliances. Long since retired and at age 96, Thurman Barnes knew that he had an important goal that he still had to complete. On December 12th he’ll get the diploma that he missed out on almost 80 years ago. For Media Planning Purposes What: Special GED Presentation Who: DTAE Commissioner Mike Vollmer and 96 year-old Thurman Barnes When: Monday, December 12, 2005 at 11:00 a.m. Where:
Callaway Center, West Georgia Technical
College Contact:
Mike Light, DTAE Director of Communications
404-327-6913 For a copy of this press release in Microsoft Word, click here. |
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©2005 Georgia Department of Technical and
Adult Education |
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404.327.6913