My next door neighbor and Violet’s buddy Bailey’s Dad made the front page of the Duluth News Tribune on Monday.  Tom and his wife Maryann have been wonderful neighbors and I know Violet is going to miss her playmate.

Earning his master’s from St. Scholastica at age 66

After a 41-year career as a certified public accountant, Tom Lanchoney said he wanted to do more with his life than just play golf when he retired last year.

Lanchoney prayed for direction. He thought about the rehabilitative help he had received from others as he recovered from heart attacks in 1992 and 2003.

He searched the Internet. He found the American Society for Exercise Physiologists, which was founded by Tommy Boone, chairman of the College of St. Scholastica’s exercise physiology department. He telephoned Boone. He said they had a wonderful conversation, and he felt warmly received.

Without having any connections to Duluth or the Northland, Lanchoney and his wife of 43 years, Maryann, moved here from Ocean City, N.J., last summer so that he could attend St. Scholastica.

“We felt St. Scholastica was a perfect fit for me,’’ Lanchoney said. “I was looking for a highly qualified program, and it is. Our program in exercise physiology is probably the best in the country.’’

Lanchoney could comment on the program with authority on Sunday as he received his master’s degree in exercise physiology during St. Scholastica’s spring commencement ceremonies at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center. The 66-year-old man was the oldest graduate of the 618 who received their undergraduate and graduate degrees.

St. Scholastica’s exercise physiology program prepares students for careers in the management of health-related risk factors, fitness and athletic development, and cardiopulmonary programs to rehabilitate patients with heart and/or lung disease, as well as in research.

Lanchoney soon will start an internship at the Bryn Mawr, Pa., hospital where his son, Thomas, is a urologist.

“My aim is ultimately to work in cardiac rehab because I feel that’s what I’ve been inspired to do because I’ve been there myself,’’ Lanchoney said. “I feel I will have credibility with the patients with whom I come in contact with. I know what they’re feeling and what they are going through. The cardiac rehab experiences I had were instrumental in helping me recover and not just to survive a cardiac event but actually to thrive and live a fulfilling life. That’s something I want to pass on to others.’’

Lanchoney graduated from Camden, N.J., High School in 1959. He received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Drexel University in Philadelphia in 1964. “When I was going to school there, we used to feed the dinosaurs right out of the windows,’’ he quipped.

The sexagenarian’s voice cracked and he had to remove his glasses to wipe his eyes when he talked about how he was accepted at St. Scholastica.

“The college has been very supportive, very caring – the administration, the professors and my classmates, ’’ he said.

Lanchoney praised three classmates young enough to be his grandchildren whom he studied with and grew close to. All three also earned their master’s degrees in exercise physiology Sunday — Ashley Meyer of Coxsackie, N.Y.; Mary Beth Huschle of Duluth; and Darren Drumsta of Hermantown.

“To me, they epitomize what the St. Scholastica student body is all about,’’ he said. “They’re just wonderful people. Their parents have to be so proud of them. They’re terrific leaders. They’re going to make a major contribution to mankind, there’s no question in my mind. I’m really proud to be associated with them. I mean that sincerely.’’

Classmate Meyer is impressed by what Lanchoney was able to accomplish without having a science background. She thinks so highly of him that she bought him a graduation present — a gold star paperweight.

“He was the father figure of our class,’’ Meyer said. “He always wanted to buy us stuff. He bought us coffee in the morning. He was always there, especially to have a conversation with whether it was personal or school-related. He was a very good friend for me. I think it’s amazing what he’s done because our field is not easy.’’

Lanchoney also worked with the Sisters at St. Scholastica in an exercise program called “Shape Up Sisters.’’ They met once a week at the Monastery. He said the Sisters were an inspiration to him because they “really live the Christian ideals, in my opinion. Besides that they are also in great shape.’’

All four of Lanchoney’s children — Michele Bramley, 41; Thomas, 38; Daniel, 34; and Andrew, 31, and six grandchildren traveled from New Jersey and Pennsylvania to attend Sunday’s ceremony. Family friends Chris and Frank Schiavone also came from New Jersey.

Maryann Lachoney’s educational experience is almost as unique as her husband’s. She started college when her youngest child was in first grade. She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in special education and master’s degrees in learning disabilities and school administration. She retired last year as director of guidance and special services at Cape May [N.J.] Technical High School.

She joked that her husband needed a thermometer to boil water when she went back to school. But he helped out at home and was her cheerleader in helping her achieve her educational goals. When he decided to come to Duluth, she supported him.

“He’s a very caring man,’’ Maryann said. “He’s very spiritual and very spirit-led, and that’s what brought him here. You can’t help but be proud of the man. He’s giving back the tender loving care he’s gotten from other people.’’