Everyday Heroes
“H
ow could I retard
my inevitable slide
to irrelevance?”At 66 and newly retired as dean
of the College of Criminology at
the Lyceum of the Philippines
University (in Batangas),
Zosimo Bolaños faced
an uncertain horizon.
He had also just lost
his wife of 38 years,
Rosalinda.“By abrupt reduction
in physical and mental
activities, I was afraid my
productivity would suffer an
irreversible trend,” Zosimo
says, recalling that nerve-
wracking period. “I had read
that dementia or Alzheimer’s
might likely set in. However,A law school graduate at
70 years old, Zosimo Bolaños
is living proof that it’s never too late.
by Margie T. LogartaAGE IS
JUST A
NUMBER
confident in my ability to
understand what I read, I
believed I could handle the
requirements of law school.“I sought the assessment of
the law school dean about
my predicament, as I was
obviously handicapped by
advancing age. But he
gave me the green
light to proceed. I
assured him that
I would quit the
moment I received
a failing grade in any
subject.”HELLO AGAIN,
CHALLENGE!
The garrulous septuagenarian
has had “challenge” as his
companion throughout his
long but interesting life. Withfor the trade received further
impetus when his high school
alma mater employed him as
a teacher-cum-disciplinarian
while he was still a college
junior. Income from that break
allowed Zosimo to complete
degrees in Education and
Liberal Arts. He also earned
junior and senior teacher
eligibilities from the Civil
Service Commission.parents who could not afford to
send him to college, he worked
as a janitor in the municipality
building, and attended school
at night.He says, “Teachers then were
considered dignified and
paragons of virtues and moral
values, whose take-home pay
was decent enough to lead a
respectable life.” His passionCONFIDENT IN MY ABILITY TO
UNDERSTAND WHAT I READ,
I BELIEVED I COULD HANDLE THE
REQUIREMENTS OF LAW SCHOOL.”
ZOSIMO BOLAÑOS“