79-Year Old 'cat comes calling back

Arizona Daily Wildcat Hazel Ahlglen Huffman

Certainly not 79-year-old Hazel Ahlglen Huffman, the oldest University of Arizona graduate attending this year's Family Weekend.

Halgren graduated 59 years ago, in 1938.

One of Huffman's five grandchildren currently attends the UA, making him a part of a Wildcat tradition that includes her husband, brother, sister, four children and a recently graduated grandchild.

Huffman's family is proud to say that the three generations who have passed through the university have seen more than just the inside of the classrooms.

The family has been long-time supporters of the UA football team, holding the same seats on the 40-yard line since 1956.

Huffman, who received a bachelor of science degree in business administration, attended the University of Arizona from 1935 until 1938 and experienced an entirely different university than that of today.

The 5,000 students of her yesteryear are a small sampling in comparison to today's count of nearly 34,000.

And the maximum in-state tuition of $1,030 per semester is a far cry from the $30 a semester Huffman remembers paying.

In addition, purchasing books once was not the major investment it is today, Huffman said.

"They (books) weren't very expensive and we'd always try to get used ones."

While the cost of a college education in the '30s is drastically less than today, Huffman said it nonetheless was difficult to afford.

In her day most students spent much of their time working to earn tuition money and helping out their families because of the effects of the depression.

"Everybody had two or three jobs," Huffman said. "Nobody had a lot of time."

During her time at the UA, Huffman said inconveniences such as parking were not a problem.

"Nobody really had cars back then," she said. "We had just come out of a depression."

If a student wanted to find a good book to curl up with they would have gone to the original library, which is now the present Arizona State Museum on University Boulevard.

Huffman herself even attended classes in Old Main, before it became the home of the dean of student's office, the scholarship office and others.

Some of Huffman's family will be watching from their football seats tomorrow when Family Weekend officials award Huffman at half-time for being the oldest returning graduate.

Huffman however won't need her usual seat, as she and an invited guest will be watching the Wildcats take on the Huskies from the Arizona Stadium skybox, as per the perks of her title.

She will be joined by Suzanne and Steve Miller, who are being honored by Family Weekend officials for traveling the farthest distance. The Millers flew in from Tokyo, Japan, to celebrate Family Weekend with their son, Christopher Miller, a junior in the college of arts and sciences.

An award for the family with the most students currently enrolled at the university will also be presented.

The rest of the 2,000 people in town for Family Weekend will have to settle for watching the game in the stands or other locales.

The influx of people corresponds to 733 families registered to take part in the weekend's festivities, according to Michelle Outlaw, executive director of Family Weekend, and criminal justice and public administration senior.

Ninety percent of those participating are families of freshmen.

"When their children get older the weekend is not so big of a deal. That is why we do the same events each year," said Family Weekend volunteer Jamie Guerrero. "Those who have been before just want to go to the game. It's the biggest pull," she said.

The largest number of families coming from a single state for Family Weekend will be the 298 families traveling from within the state. This is followed by 202 coming from California.

Wildcat reporter Carol Gachiengo contributed to this story.