Never Too Old to Learn

Author: Denise May
Issue: 2008 March

If we live long enough, most of us experience a few regrets - a missed opportunity, a bad choice or maybe a childhood dream that just never materialized. For many, time too quickly slips by, leaving us to believe one day that it’s simply too late. But not Marvin Tyler. This Oklahoma senior simply refused to let Father Time stop him from finding his true purpose and reaching the goal of a lifetime.

At 71, Tyler holds the distinct honor of being Oklahoma Baptist University’s oldest graduate. He is also pastor of a church he organized, Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church. Both are admirable achievements at any age, but even more inspiring is the story of Tyler’s road to an education that prepared him to spread God’s word. It was a long and difficult path.

“I’ve wanted a college degree almost as long as I can remember,” said Tyler. “My mother was only able to finish the 8th grade. Even when I was young, I looked around and saw that people who had an education were getting the better jobs. I was determined to make it.”

When Tyler graduated high school, college simply wasn’t an option. So he decided to join the United States Air Force, hoping the government would open the doors to earning his business degree. In 1957 he enrolled at the University of Maryland at Greenland, but round-the-clock shift work in the military didn’t leave time to attend classes.

Tyler decided to make a career in the Air Force, temporarily putting his dream of a college education on hold. He retired from the military in 1978, after 23 years of service. Tyler settled in Oklahoma, and once again picked up his old dreams, dusted them off and enrolled at Rose State College to obtain his elusive business degree.

“The military didn’t pay much in retirement benefits back then,” said Tyler. “And I had a family to support. I had to work full time while attending school.”

In 1984, when Tyler was 48, he did something that gave his life new meaning. He acknowledged a calling to serve God that he had first known at the age of fourteen.

“My father and grandfather were both pastors and I saw how difficult a life in the ministry can be,” said Tyler. “But even as a teenager, I knew I had the calling too.

I heard the Lord speak to me but I just didn’t want to listen. Looking back, I know now why I never could achieve a different purpose. You just can’t replace God’s will with your own and truly be happy.”

Tyler said he became physically ill shortly before his acknowledgement of his calling.

The physicians couldn’t explain the symptoms that suddenly gripped a man who had enjoyed good health his entire life.

“Being sick gave me time to reflect upon my roots and remember the calling of my youth,” said Tyler. “As soon as I turned my life in God’s direction, my health returned and doors began to open wide.”

Tyler still wanted a college degree, but set his sights on a different degree - one in Christian education. The closest school to offer all the courses he needed was Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee, but Tyler worried about the 60-mile round-trip he would have to make daily to attend.

“It wasn’t long before I got an answer to my prayer,” said Tyler. “Just about that time, OBU began to offer extension courses at St. John Missionary Baptist Church nearer to my home in Oklahoma City. Everything I needed was right there; it was a real blessing.”

When Tyler was only 15 hours from his degree, tragedy struck. His wife died and Tyler was so overwhelmed by the loss that he nearly withdrew from St. John’s. A friend of the family convinced him to keep going, and Tyler received his Bachelors degree in Christian Education on December 14, 2007 at the age of seventy-one.

“I told my grandchildren that at commencement ceremonies I was going to run across that stage, jump in the air and click my heels,” said Tyler. “Of course, that would have been inappropriate since graduation was held in a chapel. Still, it felt really great just to walk across and receive that diploma.”

Tyler said he never felt out of place being in school with much younger students. He enjoyed listening to their opinions and problems, remembering how it felt to be their age.

“I grew up being told that if you want to stay young, stay with the young folks,” said Tyler. “Just being around them helped me feel like young people do…like all your best days are ahead of you.”

Shawnee Outlook