This 100-year-old is still taking classes at McGill University
Most students come to McGill University in their 20s to get an education.
But not Miriam Tees. She was born in the '20s and just celebrated her 100th birthday.
"I was born on February 24, 1923," says Tees. "It's a pretty big one, 100."
Marking a centennial hasn't stopped Tees from wearing an Apple Watch, continuing to drive her car—she has her eyes checked regularly—or continuing to further her education.
Tees has taken many courses at McGill over the years to satisfy her many interests and curiosities.
"I've taken history courses and literature courses. I took one on the sonnet. Whatever happened to look interesting," she chuckles.
Tees grew up in Westmount, and as a child, she was free to roam and explore.
She got her driver's licence at 17 but never married or had children. In part, she says, because there weren't enough men to go around.
Miriam Tees got her driver's licence at 17 and continues to drive at age 100. (Supplied photo)
"You know a lot of men my age died in the war, so we lost a lot of people that might have married me, perhaps," she says.
Tees made a life for herself as a secretary and librarian. Her love of books gave her not only a career and many friends but also kept her curious.
A curiosity she continues to feed at age 100 by attending classes at McGill's Community for Lifelong Learning (MCLL).
This term, she's taking jazz. Tees has even led some classes, such as music courses.
"I moderated music because I was always interested in music all my life," she says.
Miriam Tees attends her jazz class at McGill’s Community for Lifelong Learning. (Supplied photo)The dean of continuing studies at McGill, Carola Weil, says while Tees is one of about 1000 senior learners who moderate and attend classes at the centre, she is not the oldest.
"Our oldest student is 101," says Weil. "It is tremendously inspiring. They remind me that at my age of 60-something, I'm still a youngster, and I have so much more to learn."
Jazz class moderator Tony Wait says the school keeps people connected and feeling young at heart.
"The whole focus is on lifelong learning," says Wait. "We don't want to have people feel that if they reach the age of 65, they should stop learning and be curious about life. The fact that they can come down here in a very informal setting, make friends, talk to friends, learn in a very unforced relaxed way, it's a great boon to health."
Tees wholeheartedly agrees and is living proof that you are never too old to learn.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
As GC Strategies partner is admonished by MPs, RCMP confirms search warrant executed
The RCMP confirmed Wednesday it had executed a search warrant at an address registered to GC Strategies. This development comes as MPs are enacting an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power, summoning one of its contractors to appear before the House of Commons to be admonished publicly for failing to answer questions related to the ArriveCan app.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Attempt to have murder charge quashed against alleged serial killer dismissed by judge
A motion filed by the man accused of killing four Indigenous women in Winnipeg to have one of those murder charges quashed has been dismissed by the judge – weeks before the start of his trial.
Government proposes new policy for federally regulated employees to disconnect from work
In their 2024 budget, the federal government wants to amend the Canada Labour Code, so employers in federally regulated sectors will eliminate work-related communication with employees outside of scheduled hours. If implemented, this would affect roughly 500,000 across the country.
Earthquake jolts southern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 hit southern Japan late on Wednesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, without issuing a tsunami warning.