Grads Span Generations Eastern Washington University Will Present Diplomas Today To Woman Who Is 20, Man Who Is 84

After receiving his master’s degree in social work today, David Franklin hopes to find a job doing what he enjoys most - helping the elderly.

Meanwhile, Gianna Hammer is receiving her bachelor of science degree in biology and will head to Berkeley, Calif., in the fall to pursue a Ph.D. in cellular and molecular biology.

They are among more than 2,220 Eastern Washington University students who will receive their degrees today during commencement at Woodward Field. Gov. Gary Locke is the keynote speaker.

Franklin and Hammer are very different from one another. But they have a couple of things in common: Education is the means to their goals and dreams. And they both want to be mentors.

“I’ve had a longing for an education all my life, but I had my family and they came first,” Franklin, 84, said. He will be today’s oldest Eastern graduate. In contrast, Hammer, 20, is one of the youngest. Having skipped ahead two grades in elementary school, she is at least a couple of years younger than most undergraduates.

But as both students exemplify, age is just a number.

“We have real loud parties every night; the neighbors are always complaining,” joked Franklin, who has a 22-year-old male housemate.

Hammer, meanwhile, is newly married and has temporary guardianship of her 2-year-old cousin.

“I’ve always been ahead of my years because I’m the oldest,” said Hammer, who has six younger siblings.

Hammer, who graduated from Ferris High School in Spokane in 1995, is a two-time Ronald McNair Scholarship recipient. The national scholarship is awarded, based on academic achievement, to underrepresented students planning post-graduate education in the sciences.

She also has been involved in clubs and community service. She served as president of the Black Student Union during her junior year and has been a MESA (Math, Engineering, and Science Achievement) volunteer to help high school students. She has been a Red Cross volunteer since she was 12.

She has accepted an offer from the University of California in Berkeley, which includes full tuition and a cost-of-living scholarship.

She wants to research autoimmune diseases, something she already has experience in.

“She was helping produce a vaccine in goats in a model infectious disease similar to AIDS,” said EWU biology professor Haideh Lightfoot, describing Hammer’s participation in a recent research project.

“She’s so talented and focused,” Lightfoot said, “and I see an illustrious future for her in research.”

As Hammer heads to Berkeley, her husband of one year, Michael Ward, will leave to become an officer in the U.S. Navy.

“It’s early in our marriage, so we can make that transition,” said Hammer of their pending long-distance relationship.

She’s hoping her temporary custody of her cousin Gino, 2, can become long-term.

“I’ve decided it would be best for him to be with me,” she said.

With Gino and her six siblings looking up to her, Hammer is accustomed to being a role model. One of her goals is to set up a mentor program between minority students and minority Ph.D. scientists.

Franklin, meanwhile, wants to serve as an example for elderly people.

“When I find people with problems and I have a hand in assisting them, I feel good,” Franklin said. “By doing the work I’m doing, I’m showing other elders you’re never too old to be of service. Just go ahead and do it.”

For the past nine months, he’s also been interning as a case manager at Elder Services in Spokane.

“I could have had a baby in that time,” Franklin said.

He said he’s enjoyed helping seniors, as well as the new friendships he’s made.

Franklin has plenty of experience dealing with life’s problems.

He broke his back in a shipyard accident when he was 35. He survived brain tumor surgery when he was 55, forcing his retirement as a furniture salesman. And he was the sole caregiver for his wife, Sylvia, while she battled cancer for 11 years. She died in 1996.

The couple raised three daughters and a son, all of whom received college degrees.

Franklin, who dropped out of high school in the 10th grade, earned his GED when he was 77. He went on to earn an associate’s degree from Lynn Community College in Lynn, Mass. He then got his bachelor’s degree in gerontology from the University of Massachusetts in 1997.

With his wife gone, Franklin moved to Spokane to be closer to two of his daughters. He then joined Eastern’s master’s program.

“He has been a joy to work with, and I have enjoyed him tremendously,” said Maria Hernandez-Peck, an associate professor in Eastern’s social work department. “He has done extremely well, and the students look up to him as a wonderful role model.”

Before Franklin buckles down with a new job, he plans to take a road trip. His girlfriend of two years has an RV.

This sidebar appeared with the story: IF YOU GO Governor to speak

Gov. Gary Locke will be the keynote speaker at Eastern Washington University’s commencement this morning.

The graduation ceremony is slated to start about 9 a.m. at Woodward Field, once all of the graduates are seated following the 8:30 a.m. grand march.

Eastern will confer 1,750 bachelor’s degrees and 459 master’s degrees.

Open seating in the bleachers for the outdoor ceremony begins at 7:30 a.m. Parking is available at several campus parking lots, and a shuttle bus will circulate throughout the campus to and from Woodward Field.