By Lauren Krakau
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — A University of Arkansas Alum shows that giving back looks good at any age, even when you are 108 years old.
Irma Little Boyer was born on November 23, 1910, in Abbot, Arkansas and she may be the oldest living donor to support Campaign Arkansas at the U of A.
Irma’s daughter, Jane, said her mother gives to the University of Arkansas because she wants to help students who otherwise might not be able to attend the school.
When Irma was 50, she earned her Master’s Degree in Education and now at the young age of 108, Irma still loves and remembers the one thing that she is most proud of — when she taught school.
Jane also graduated from the U of A and earned a Masters in Education.
She said she learned everything she knows about teaching from her mother and knows how much being a teacher meant and still means to Irma.
“She was the happiest in the classroom,” Jane said. “She really loved teaching.”
Irma’s students came to celebrate her milestone birthday two weeks ago and presented her a poem they wrote about her as their teacher.
Jane said her mother’s strong work ethic began when she was a small child.
“Everybody worked hard,” Jane said. “Living through the depression made an enormous impact.”
Irma was the sixth child out of eight brothers and sisters and Jane said they all helped the other out when it came to paying for their education.
“Each one would help the next one as they were ready to go,” Jane said. “It was just a progression they had in their family, and they all went to college.”
Jane said that Irma’s drive to be successful is what motivates Irma to try out new things — even despite being 108.
I even got the chance to show Irma how to take a selfie on Snapchat when I visited her at Butterfield Trail Village.
Jane said her mother’s unending energy for things that she wants to do is the secret to her long life.
“She took a float trip down the Colorado River at 80 years old and she couldn’t swim,” Jane said. “She didn’t have many fears period.”
On Irma’s birthday, Mayor Lioneld Jordan proclaimed November 23, 2018, as “Irma Little Boyer Day.”