May 21, 1998
Contact: Timothy McKernan, (619) 594-2588
SDSU’s Grand Master
She’s Getting Her Master’s Degree at Age 72!
Most students at this weekend’s commencement at San Diego State University are concerned about finding a good job. Seventy-two-year-old Ruth Gallagher, who will receive her master’s degree in experimental psychology this Sunday, has one already lined up.
When Gallagher, the mother of seven and grandmother of 12, retired after 25 years as a switchboard operator at Scripps Clinic, she didn’t follow traditional retirement pursuits. Instead, she enrolled at SDSU with the intention of getting a bachelor’s degree in psychology and going into counseling. As she was nearing completion of her undergraduate degree, Gallagher became an intregal part of Project USE (Utilization, Social Support and Education), testing behavior interventions on people with chronic diseases. Gallagher continued working on the project as she pursued her master’s degree in experimental psychology.
“I decided to focus on gerontology and do interventions to help seniors cope with disease,“ Gallagher says. “Through Project USE, I’ve worked with people who have osteoarthritis and fibromylagia, and I’m looking forward to continuing that work.”
And continue she will. Project USE’s principal investigator, Dr. Theresa Cronan, says Gallagher has a job waiting for her.
“I can’t imagine not having her work with me on the project,” Cronan says. “She’s an inspiration to me. When I’m 72, I hope I have as much motivation, as much energy. Ruth works twice as many hours as she has to, and then turns around and baby-sits her grandchildren on the weekends to give her kids some time to themselves. She does a lot of the training for students entering the research project, and every one of them, from freshman to Ph.D. candidates, just loves her. She is a very special person.”
Gallagher will receive her master’s degree at Cox Arena at Aztec Bowl on Sunday, May 24, at 4 p.m. To arrange an interview, please call Timothy McKernan at (619) 594-2588.