Q&A: This 80-year-old from Sarnia just earned his PhD

CBC News

· Posted: Mar 30, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

Whether travelling, picking up a caller hobby oregon relaxing, status tin come with possibility. But erstwhile Sarnia's Jim McCormick turned 70, helium decided to deed the books and caput backmost to schoolhouse to decorativeness a bachelor's grade aft a 40-year hiatus.

He didn't halt there. The present 80-year-old precocious defended his dissertation connected Indigenous athletics from Western University and is acceptable to locomotion crossed the convocation signifier successful June, this time with a doctorate successful kinesiology.

Jim McCormick spoke to CBC's Matt Allen connected Afternoon Drive.

The pursuing interrogation has been edited for clarity and length.

Matt Allen: Congratulations connected your PhD — a fantastic achievement! Your travel has been a agelong one. Why did you determine to caput backmost to schoolhouse successful the archetypal place?

Jim McCormick: I started — and didn't finish  — my undergrad studies astatine Western University backmost successful the 70s. I was inactive abbreviated a fewer credits for my undergrad degree, and aft a 40-year hiatus, I was inactive sitting determination with a grade that was unfinished and I had time. In 2015, I was 70 years of age, and I thought: 1 happening I tin bash is spell and see what's cooking at the school. I wasn't definite what to expect, but they suggested I effort a course one at a clip and spot what happens. Well, I did, and I figured, 'Okay, I tin decorativeness this now.'  But I wasn't getting too excited astir thing until I took an anthropology course.

The people had an duty that progressive penning a critique of a National Geographic mag article, immoderate nonfiction I wanted from the past 10 years, astir Indigenous radical successful North America. I recovered 1 called In the Shadow of Wounded Knee, astir the massacre successful South Dakota 100 years ago. I researched that and I did truly good connected the paper, and I was genuinely interested. So I went to the counselling office , and they said, 'If you similar that, wherefore don't you get progressive successful First Nations studies? Try that.' I had ne'er heard of it. It didn't beryllium erstwhile I went to Western. Well, I was hooked from the start.

LISTEN: Jim McCormick didn't privation to beryllium a sofa murphy successful retirement, truthful helium got a PhD

I was fortunate to conscionable Dr. Janice Forsyth, who was the manager of First Nations Studies (it became Indigenous Studies aboriginal on). She took maine nether her helping and was truthful helpful. I conscionable kept getting much involved. She encouraged maine to spell to grad school, which I did. But I took it a measurement astatine a time, ne'er mounting the goals excessively high. I've been determination for 10 years now, starting successful 2015, full-time, non-stop. It didn't instrumentality agelong to get reacclimatized, and voila!

MA: I'm funny — since you mentioned returning to Western and seeing however overmuch it had changed, what are your thoughts connected however antithetic the speech astir Indigenous radical is present compared to erstwhile you were successful schoolhouse successful the 70s? 

JM: I grew up successful Sarnia. We are successful adjacent proximity to 4 reserves: Aamjiwnaang, Kettle & Stony Point, and Walpole Island to the south. I've grown up with, played sports with, gone to schoolhouse with and socialized with Indigenous radical my full life. I ne'er thought thing antithetic than that; they are my friends. 

As I got further into studying Indigenous athletics and athletes, it was beauteous evident that these radical had ne'er been acknowledged for the large accomplishments and contributions they person made to Canadian sport. That had to beryllium recognized. There were barriers affecting their lives truthful much. Finally, we're making immoderate advancement successful recognizing them and knowing the ills and harm that has been done to them implicit the years done colonialism successful Canada.

MA: What's been the astir rewarding portion of your travel toward your doctorate degree?

JM: Oh boy — finding, discovering and gathering truthful galore adjuvant radical on the way. I've met a batch of fantastic radical on the way. 

MA: What proposal would you springiness to others who mightiness person dreams of pursuing thing but are disquieted that it mightiness beryllium excessively late?

JM: I don't deliberation it's ever excessively precocious to commencement something. Because having the comfortableness successful your caput to bash something, beryllium active, and execute thing is ever meaningful. Start doing something, nary substance what, due to the fact that erstwhile you springiness up, you go sofa potatoes.