Every year in May, the ASU Alumni Association gears up for its largest event of the year: to honor graduates from 50 years back. Though 1968 may seem like a long time ago, for a number of returning grads it feels like yesterday.
The Golden Graduates have the opportunity to reconnect over a two-day special event that includes campus tours, receptions with VIPs, a dinner prior to the graduation ceremony, recognition by President Michael Crow during commencement, and the Golden Circle induction and candle-lighting ceremony in front of Old Main.
One of this year’s Golden Graduates, Antonia “Toni” Oliver earned her undergraduate engineering degree in 1968. Her daughter Wendy was 4 years old at the time.
It was a difficult time for Oliver, but she didn’t dwell on her struggles. She was a single mom working on an engineering degree. Oliver took her math and science courses as well as the 40 hours of liberal studies that were required at the time by the university president.
She worked weekends while taking courses. At times, she brought Wendy to class where she would draw or play on a blanket in back of the classroom.
“I didn’t even consider asking permission to bring her to class. I just did it!” Oliver said.
When Oliver wasn’t able to watch her daughter, her sister, a dormitory resident assistant and ASU marching band member, would take over.
“My aunt would take me to band practice,” said the now-54-year-old Wendy. “Also, my mom would volunteer as an usher at Gammage Auditorium, so I got to see a lot of plays.”
Wendy would hang out with her mother in the computer center where her mother’s classmates would give her paper and pencils to draw pictures for them.
Oliver, who went on to have a career as a chemical engineer in Oregon and Illinois, decided that she wanted to make the trip to Tempe for the Golden Graduation.
“When I told Wendy, she said, ‘I want to go to, I went to school so I should go too!’”
More Science and technology
4 ASU students awarded Goldwater Scholarships for excellence in STEM research
Four students in The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences were named 2026 Goldwater Scholars, joining a select group of undergraduates pursuing research careers in science, engineering and…
Largest genomic dataset of Indigenous Americans to date sheds light on history, diversity and health
The story of Indigenous peoples in the Americas is woven through their DNA, and scientists are beginning to trace its threads in new ways. In a new study published today in Nature, an…
These digital games are teaching players about the world's most fragile ecosystems
As Earth Day highlights the importance of protecting the planet, a pair of digital learning games from Arizona State University’s Ask A Biologist is helping people move from awareness to action…