He’s not your average student. He has taken more than 100 hours of credit and has no plans to graduate whatsoever.
Born on Aug. 5, 1920, Irving Nathanson has been a student at the University of Memphis since 1980.
At 82, Nathanson says he isn’t planning on graduating because he already obtained a degree in statistics from the University of Illinois in 1942. He says he takes courses to keep his mind active.
“I’ve taken practically every political science course they teach,” Nathanson said.
Nathanson has also taken art history courses, philosophy courses and sociology courses. He only takes 4000 level classes.
Nathanson said the best part is that he doesn’t have to take any tests, because he audits the courses.
Nathanson is one of two children born to a homemaker and a men’s clothing storeowner in the farming community of Litchfield, Ill.
Nathanson said the clothing store didn’t specialize in fashion, but rather focused on functional clothes, such as overalls.
Nathanson served in the military during World War II for three and a half years as a cryptographer. Nathanson said the war changed everything.
During his senior year in college, Nathanson was interested in statistics and was interviewing for jobs with New York Life, yet he couldn’t take the job because he had to go overseas.
He said his experience in the war was interesting.
“It was very interesting because I knew what was going on in Europe,” Nathanson said.
During his time of service, Nathanson served in Algiers, Egypt, Tripoli, Tunis, India, Australia and other countries.
After returning from WWII in 1946, he moved to Chicago where he managed a carpet retail store.
Nathanson met his wife, Doris, in Chicago while she was working as a secretary for Sherman Shops. They met in April of 1949 and were married on Christmas Day of the same year.
In 1950, Nathanson and his wife moved to Memphis.
“Memphis looked like fertile ground and I wanted to go into business,” Nathanson said.
He has lived in Memphis ever since.
In 1950, Nathanson went into the carpet and Oriental rug business with a college friend. The business, Alan’s Carpet and Oriental Rugs, was successful for Nathanson, and he sold his share in 1980 and retired.
In 1952, Nathanson and his wife had a son named Alan.
Nathanson’s wife passed away in 1991, yet he knows to the day the length of their marriage.
“We were married 42 years and one day,” Nathanson said.
When Nathanson retired he began traveling and taking college courses.
In his home, Nathanson has a map of the world covered with blue, yellow, pink and clear stickpins.
Nathanson has a pin in every place he has been. There are over 60 pins on the board ranging from Iceland, Egypt to Iran, and many others.
Nathanson says he has been around the world three times, once at the government’s expense.
Nathanson also does volunteer consulting work for small businesses. He helps them with accounting, licenses, and other issues involving setting up a business
“I’ve had a good life,” said Nathanson. “I can’t complain.”
Nathanson said he doesn’t have a strict diet, and he eats what he likes.
“I don’t know if you live longer or if it seems longer if you give up everything,” said Nathanson.
