Collins resident Charles Buckley will be receiving his bachelor’s degree in nursing Saturday from the University of Southern Mississippi.

While that might not be unusual, Buckley’s age for a freshly minted college graduate is. He’s 74.

Buckley says some teachers might have found his studies a bit odd for a man his age, but he had no qualms about his pursuit.

It took Buckley seven years to get the degree.

Buckley received his associate’s degree in 2005 after two years in the Jones County Junior College’s nursing program. He now works as a unit nurse at Boswell Rehabilitation Center in Magee for patients with physical and mental disabilities.