With somewhat of a soft spot for the elderly, when the task of interviewing an army veteran who earned his high school diploma at the age of 79 was brought to the table, I immediately took it.
I love the stories of past generations and I must say that when I spoke to Master Sergeant Daryl Rothfus, he did not leave me disappointed at all. He seems a very charming man, a boisterous laugh along with a knowledge that age does not hinder him in any way. And if one were to listen to our conversation, one would know that this man has nothing but aspirations and a love for experiences.
After serving 22 years in the U.S. Army and making it to the rank of Master Sergeant (a rank I came to find is very prestigious and important; well above a private and not too far away from a Sergeant Major of the Army), Rothfus returned to Vancouver, WA to become a U.S. Postal Man, most of which he worked on foot, going door-to-door.
Rothfus muses that this part of the job helped him open up to people and become more of a candid person. He says that before then, he was much more of an introvert and didn't really go out of his way to let people know about himself. And as far as reporting goes, I would never have guessed; not once did he hold back from any questions and spoke to me as if I were an old friend just catching up.
Even so, a hint of Daryl's past reclusiveness transferred through when I asked if he was married. Sadly, he is a recent widower, his wife, Ardith, having passed away in late 2008. He told me that it has been hard since her death but he inquires that it helps to keep busy and to be positive.
He says that he likes to go on trips that he and his wife never had a chance of taking. First was a 2 week cruise around the Baltic Sea near Scandinavia with his daughter, Darla (a Green River employee) and her husband. I was surprised considering how cold it must have been but he reassured me that they only went as far north as Oslo, Norway and that the weather was fair.
The most recent adventure was a trip to Hawaii with his son, Richard. Rothfus says that it was a nice vacation and that his son had never been there so he was excited to go as well.
Rothfus next planned vacation is a four day fishing trip to Alaska this coming August and when he told me I was just green with jealous rage. Not literally, but almost. I have always wanted to travel to Alaska and here he is, only 7 months away from it.
Still, it is nice to see that the man has goals and the fact that he intends on reaching them shows the dedicated student he became once again when he enrolled at Green River to earn his high school diploma and sure enough received it, last quarter.
At first I was confused as to how Rothfus pulled off going to classes and all of the things the rest of us have to do, what with him living in Vancouver but when he explained that he only needed to write a 12 page essay on his military life and its relevancy to what was going on in the world, historically.
His instructor, Bruce Haulman stated, "Daryl did a great paper with photos included. It more than meets the requirements."
So, at the age of 79 years old, Rothfus earned his diploma and the months following he will fish up in Alaska, enjoying life and showing us all that really, truly, it is never to late for anything worth while.
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