The Senior Senior of Olney High

Ronald Cortes

Philadelphia Inquirer

In 1930, at the age of 14,Marie Dingas dropped out of school to help support her family during the Depression. In time she had a family of her own. She raised five sons, buried three husbands and have seen grandchildren and greatgrandchildren come into the world. At the age of 72, she read a newspaper story on a program at Olney High for adult students and saw her chance to finish. 'My boys all went to Olney, so I thought it'd be pretty neat if I graduated from there too.' On Marie Dingas first day at Olney, some students, like Anna McDaniel, weren't quite sure what to make of her.

Ronald Cortes, "The Senior Senior of Olney High," in POYi Archive, Item #19505, http://archive.poy.org/items/show/19505 (accessed April 20, 2025).