Congratulations, and Condolences

January was a busy month for Harriet Richardson Ames. The retired schoolteacher from New Hampshire celebrated her 100th birthday, graduated from college, and died — all in three weeks’ time.

Her daughter told the Associated Press that earning a diploma from Keene State College was Ms. Ames’s final goal. ”She had what I call a ‘bucket list,’ and that was the last thing on it,” Marjorie Carpenter said.

Ms. Ames, who turned 100 on January 2, had been in hospice care. She earned her teaching certificate at Keene in 1931, and went on to teach at a one-room school and then taught first-graders. She continued to take classes until her retirement in 1971, but with her eyesight failing she stopped. Ms. Ames was never sure whether she had enough credits for her bachelor’s degree in education.

Officials at Keene State got wind of her story a couple years ago when she was interviewed for a film about the college’s centennial. A review of her records determined that Ms. Ames could get her degree, so the provost, registrar, and other departments worked together to expedite the process.

Norma Walker, an alumni coordinator, said that when she told Ms. Ames on a recent visit what the college was doing, the woman started to cry. “If I die tomorrow,” she said, “I’ll die happy, because my degree’s in the works.”

Keene State officials awarded Ms. Ames her diploma at her bedside on Friday. A day later, with her sheepskin in hand, New Hampshire’s newest college graduate died. —Don Troop