Martin Schechtmar has a college life many would envy. He can take classes without having to do homework, take exams or declare a major. But at eighty-nine years old, Schechtmar said he has paid his dues and can finally enjoy getting an education.
“For me, going to school is a real positive thing at this point in my life,” he said. “I don’t have to get an A or a B. If I only get a 50 percent, I have learned 50 percent more stuff than I would have learned without taking the class.”
Schechtmar can take up to eight credits each term at no cost through the University’s senior citizen auditor program. The program was created for Oregon residents age 65 and older who are not seeking academic credit, but just want to sit in on classes. Senior citizens may audit classes depending on available space, but only if they receive department approval.
Associate Vice President for Enrollment and Services Herb Chereck said the auditing program has existed for 15 years and has provided many senior citizens with a unique opportunity to transform their retirement into an educational opportunity.
A bill in the state House of Representatives would require all schools in the Oregon University System as well as community colleges to allow seniors 65 and older to take classes for free. House Bill 2011 would allow seniors to audit up to eight credits for free in an academic term.
Rep. Michael Dembrow, a Portland Democrat and professor at Portland Community College, said although many universities already offer senior citizens the opportunity to audit classes, community colleges don’t.
“When I first started teaching, I remember fondly that there were a lot of seniors on campus,” he said. “It was good for our young students to actively engage with older students. It added diversity to the classroom.”
Schechtmar said he was happy to engage with younger students, but that he felt rewarded enough just to take classes.
“When I found out that I could take classes at the University for free, it was like God was putting his hand down and saying, ‘See I promised I would take care of you,’” Schechtmar said.
Schechtmar wanted to be a doctor when he was younger, but $400 a year for college was a lot of money for a kid in Brooklyn who didn’t have two dimes to rub together. Instead, he decided to enroll in the less expensive Brooklyn Polytechnic.
In 1941, he graduated with a degree in chemistry and a minor in chemical engineering. After graduation, he immediately started working at a chemical company that made chromium compounds.
“I didn’t get an education; I learned a trade,” he said. “I was too stupid to realize there were other things, but you never really know until you’re in it. I mean, a lot of jobs depend on the situation, but you never know what a job entails until you start doing it.”
Schechtmar credits much of his education to his life experiences, not what he learned in the classroom. He fought as a marine in the South Pacific during World War II and still lives by the words of his sergeant.
“Listen, I don’t think my sergeant had any more than a high school degree, but he was one of the smartest men I ever knew,” he said. “He used to tell me, ‘Martin, in life, you’ve got to flop with the mop,’ and that is a phrase I have lived by. If I could tell students anything, I would tell them to be ready for a life they wouldn’t believe.”
Schechtmar retired in 1963 from his job in manufacturing, and shortly after began teaching classes at a small college in western New York. Three years ago, Schechtmar retired from teaching and then realized that it was time to find a place to settle down.
“My daughter lived in Eugene, so I decided that I would go there,” he said. “I was scared about three things though. First, I had a hard time with the idea that I was going to leave my big old house and move across the country to live in a tiny apartment. Second, I was sad about leaving my friends behind. And third, I had no idea what I was going to do with all my time.”
It was soon after he arrived in Eugene that Schechtmar decided he would start taking classes at the University. He said it keeps his mind sharp and keeps him from rocking his life away in a wooden chair.
Although Schechtmar sits unassuming in many large lecture halls, after two marriages, children and dozens of close friendships, he has already learned a lot. He urges young people to remember that life is short and that they should enjoy every minute of it.
“Don’t let the bastards get you down,” he said. “Life is tough. You are going to have to work harder than you ever thought you would, but remember it’s a short time.”
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