BYU NewsNet - Looking to life after college

On April 23, BYU will lose 6,192 of its students to commencement. Of these students, 5,315 will receive Bachelor’s degrees, 690 will receive Master’s degrees and 187 will receive doctorates.

While parents and spouses will watch their college graduates walk this spring, one student is expecting a few of her children and grandchildren in the audience.

Frances Merrill, age 70, is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in American Studies, and rather than just entering her adult life, she is graduating after raising eight children, serving two missions, and after years of service in the Utah legislature, Salt Lake County Republican party and state school board.

“I stand out,” she said, “[but] that doesn’t bother me at all.”

Merrill started at BYU to cope with her husband’s death, five years ago. He was a first sergeant in the Marine Corps and awarded with the bronze star for valor. After he was buried in Arlington Cemetery, Merrill was left with a large loss, a lot of time and the opportunity for free education through the GI Bill.

When Merrill first enrolled in BYU, she took whatever classes interested her. It was only after finding many of her credits fell under the American Studies major that she decided to graduate. Although she did not formally attend college after graduating from high school in 1956 — “If anyone went, it was the boys,” she said — Merrill has been taking classes informally for most of her life.

“Education has done a big thing for me,” she said. “The more you learn, you realize the more you know you need to learn. I recommend it to anyone.”

In many ways, college is no different for her than for younger students. Her memory recall is n’t as sharp, she said, but tests are stressful for everyone. She commutes from her home in Salt Lake City and attends devotionals. She talks to her grandson, a student at BYU-Idaho, and other relatives who are attending college.

“What I like about Aunt Frannie is she is so proactive,” said Stephanie Siggard, Merrill’s great-niece, a BYU student from Sandy. She said Merrill will call her name from across the crowd and is always eager to talk.

“It’s fun bumping into her on campus,” Siggard said, smiling.

Merrill’s education has also been an inspiration to other members of her family. One of Merrill’s sons is now taking college classes at Texas Christian University after her example.

Merrill is the second among her eight siblings to graduate from college. The first was her older brother, Utah Senator Orrin Hatch, also a BYU graduate.

“I think it’s terrific for her to go to school and graduate after the worldwide experience she’s had,” Hatch said. “I’m very proud of her. She’s one of the hardest-working people I know and a very, very good person.”

Grant Merrill, a son who lives in South Boston, Va., said his mother’s education has kept her mind sharp and has been a good influence on all around her.

Frances Merrill said she especially enjoyed her religion and humanities classes and learning from insightful professors.

“It’s been fun,” said Richard Cowan, Merrill’s church history professor. He said it was good to have her share experiences about earlier church presidents. “It adds an interesting dimension to have her here.”

Even in her later life stage, Merrill said graduation is still a big transition.

“I really don’t know what to do with the rest of my life,” Merrill said. “I’m kind of freaking out about it.”

Although she isn’t sure about her future plans, Merrill said she is eager to have the flexibility to serve more, do family history work and do activities she put on hold since school took first priority.

As for now, Merrill caps her 70 years with a college education, showing you are never too old to “enter to learn and go forth to serve.”