JEFFERSON CITY, MO. ? Eighty-three years of life on this planet has neither dimmed Paul Sanderson’s yearning for knowledge nor dulled his joyful embrace of life.

Last month, the octogenarian earned his first, but almost certainly not his last, higher education degree when he graduated from Lincoln University in Jefferson City with an associate’s degree in criminal justice.

Quoting Deepak Chopra to a young woman who stopped to greet him, Sanderson said: “People don’t grow old. When they stop growing, they become old. That just tells you — keep it in gear, kid.”

He selected criminal justice because it interested him, and he learned he could obtain an associate’s degree quickly.

With sharp blue eyes set in a wizened face and a pair of glasses perched on his nose, Sanderson’s intellect, forceful personality and good humor belie his age. He works out three times a week and speaks with a bold, emphatic style.

“I don’t think (graduating is) any great accomplishment,” he said. “It’s just something to do.”

Living history

He’s more excited about continuing his education, particularly relishing the thought of 15 more hours of history course work.

“I’m going to come back for my bachelor’s degree, which I’ll have in about two years. I’ll be 85 by then.”

He said a professor has already approached him about taking his class on modern U.S. history, from 1945 to today.

“Man, I could write a book on that!” he declared.

Paul Sanderson, 83, of Jefferson City, second from right, is congratulated after receiving an associate's degree in criminal justice from Lincoln University, in Jefferson City, Mo. Sanderson, a longtime resident of Jefferson City, plans to return to school this fall to start work on a bachelor's degree.

Sanderson has lived an eventful 83 years.

After enlisting in the U.S. Marines on Sept. 11, 1941, he attended sea school in San Diego.

He was bound for the Pacific on the USS Maryland when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor a week before he arrived. Before the war was over, he spent 27 months in the south and central Pacific and learned to speak Japanese.

His oldest son, Mark, now 52, was born while he was serving his country in Korea.

Today he has two sons — the younger is Thomas, 47 — and a 15-year-old granddaughter.

He’s lived in Jefferson City since the age of 18, shortly after graduating from high school. He spent his entire career in sales, retiring from the insurance business 18 years ago.

Love of learning

Participating in the graduation ceremony required only a few modifications for Sanderson.

A Lincoln University public safety officer made sure Sanderson was given a parking space near the stadium’s field and set a row of chairs for Sanderson on the track.

“With a bad knee, I couldn’t stay in the stands: no handrails,” he explained. “I was able to walk on level ground the whole way.”

Sanderson credits Lincoln University for the high quality education it offers students.

“Most of my teachers have doctorate degrees. I’m in a small class. And I love the diversity,” he said.

He’s made friends from Sri Lanka to Senegal, and places in between. He enjoys the political conversations he’s able to strike up with others on campus who follow different religions.

“I’m a Baptist and a Christian,” he said, adding he enjoys joking with the Muslims on campus: “Why don’t you try some country ham?”

Dealing with loss

His friendships there have made a difference in his life.

“I lost my wife of 55 years almost three years ago,” he said.

He said nothing ever struck him so hard as the phone call from the hospital that terrible night.

“I was numb,” he said. “I dropped that semester, but I needed to get my mind on something else that happened.”

Studying helped him refocus his life.

He returned for the next semester and currently dates an 82-year-old woman he describes as beautiful.

“She looks like she’s 60,” he said.

Away from the crowd, Sanderson smoked a cigarette.

People leaned over from the stands to congratulate him, wave and marvel at his achievement. He waved back.

“I found out a long time ago: keep moving,” he tells them.

“I love Lincoln. I really do,” he said. “Jefferson City needs to appreciate Lincoln University more.”