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In a classroom filled with 20-somethings, Marc Adelman sticks out like a sore thumb. While some of his fellow students are not old enough to drink, the 68-year-old certainly doesn’t fit the mold of the typical co-ed.
Yet, Adelman wrote papers, stressed about finals and made sure he kept up attendance, just like everyone else at Temple University. Although the students and technology may have changed since his first secondary-school foray, Adelman’s heart and drive certainly have not. After a 42-year hiatus, during which he pursued a career in business, a personal catharsis led him back to the classroom.
"I woke up two years ago and realized I needed to show my children and grandchildren that education is the number one most important thing," the 1957 graduate of South Philadelphia High School said. "I’m not one to make excuses in life. That has negative connotations and that doesn’t get you anywhere. I make priorities in life. That way, my cup is always half full, never half empty."
Back in college life, he picked up where he left off. With Temple accepting 90 percent of his credits, Adelman took on a full course load and a full-time schedule at the Ambler Campus, completing 42 more credits and 14 courses over six semesters to get his bachelor’s degree in history.
Not only did he graduate May 22, he was awarded a spot on the dean’s list and plans to get his master’s in archival management at Temple.
"I chose to get a degree in archival management because it will put me in close approximation to research historical literature and artifacts that will enable me to contribute and give back," he said, adding, "That may sound strange for a 68-year-old, but I am not ready to sit on the end of a pier and fish. I want to know how old is the pier? Who stood on the pier and what, if anything, of historical significance occurred on the pier?"
Adelman’s love of history and the world is deeply rooted in his upbringing. As a youngster on the 2400 block of Franklin Street, he remembers the area’s strong presence.
"Growing up here in the ’50s and ’60s, it was more than a neighborhood, it was a community. Everybody cared and watched out for each other," Adelman said. "I think of it as a village or a connection of ethnic villages where people lived independently but with an undeniable communal responsibility."
After four years in the U.S. Navy upon graduating high school, Adelman decided to pursue higher education in ’62. The liberal arts major was led to a different path by family issues and the era’s tumultuous times. He switched his focus to social work two years in. Before he could graduate in ’66, he was forced to choose: Wrap up his degree or take care of his family. Brought up where family was everything, Adelman withdrew months and less than 20 credits shy of a degree.
"My father was dying of cancer and my mother asked me to help her with household responsibilities, including those for my younger brother and sister," Adelman said
During his "break" from college, he and wife Connie raised their own family of three sons, who in turn gave them four grandchildren. To make ends meet, Adelman ran a 7-Eleven and owned a commercial cleaning company. Since his sons did not attend college, Adelman believed he needed to set the standard, especially for grandchildren Evan, 6, Jordan, 8, and Zachary and Casey, both 13.
"When my dad told me he was first going to Temple, I could not believe it," middle son David said. "Once he started the classes I thought, ‘Wow, he is really going to do this.’ As the year went on and I had to assist him with typing his papers, I thought, ‘This is really cool.’
"The fact that after all of these years, and never going to college myself, that he was going to complete his college education was a testament to his follow-through on what his goal was and that he was not going to give up."
Now living in the Northeast with his wife of 40 years, Adelman attributes much of his drive and strong work ethic to his years in the area.
"Your physical body can leave South Philly, but, honestly, there’s no way your heart can leave," he said.
Much like on local streets, he noticed Temple co-eds had a drastic change in appearance. Gone were conservative dress and sensible shoes, which have been traded in for half-shirts, flip-flops and belly rings. The way things were done was different, too.
"When I first returned to school, I was writing my papers out in long hand and used to have my wife type up my papers," he said.
Quickly adapting, he became proficient in programs like Blackboard and Microsoft Office.
"Marc not only took on the challenge of going back to classes, but he had to learn more than studying again," Connie said. "He was not very computer literate and in today’s world almost everything was done on the computer for his classes. He learned how to do his best both in his classes and on the computer."
Two different worlds once again came together for Adelman, though it was a rocky start.
"I was uneasy at first. With many of the other students, they’re 20 and I’m almost 70," he said. "They wondered what I was doing in their class. In my third semester, and even towards the end of my second, there was a transition. They would come up to me and ask me advice, what I thought about a test — they would talk to me and me to them. It is a very healthy environment for those that want to be educated."
Temple history professor Dr. Kenneth Kusmer was pleasantly surprised by his student’s classroom showing. "I am extremely impressed by Marc’s ability to adapt to college-level work after being away from it for so many years. The research paper that he wrote for the history majors’ capstone course last semester is one of the finest I have ever read. I only wish that students one-third his age exhibited the energy, enthusiasm and dedication to learning that Marc does."
The final push towards graduation didn’t dampen his thirst for knowledge. Adelman plans to dive right back in, even though he will be 72 when he completes his master’s.
"He has always been the kind of man who commanded respect, but he is now an inspiration to us all. And now he has the college bug in him and will keep going," his wife said.
He has lived by his own mantra — "there are no excuses in life, only priorities" — and his story proves it is never too late.
"I believe that I have a career ahead of me of 20 to 30 years in a new profession, and I’ll be good at it. I think I’m at the same level as any other student," he said. "They have their whole lives ahead of them, and so do I. I’m looking forward to it."
