Fenton is a U.S. Navy veteran who served onboard the United States ship John F. Kennedy (CV-67) from 1972 to 1978.

During his service onboard the Kennedy, Fenton was part of the “ships company,” and was responsible for the storerooms, which served more than 5,000 sailors.

This included snacks, cigarettes and retail shops as well as the barber shops, dry cleaning, and laundry.

He spent 17 months in the Mediterranean, six months in the Caribbean, and three months in the North Atlantic. Among his favorite memories of his time in the Navy are the countless ports of calls where he was able to interact with residents. In retirement, he has been able to visit many of these same places.

Originally from Trumbull, Connecticut, Fenton, who is also a retired Xerox chief information officer, has been in Louisville since 1995. Ěý

Fenton is a at UofL, a program that offers students in Kentucky who are 65 years or older the chance to take a select number of classes for free at any state-supported institution. The program, which started in 1976, can count toward a degree or simply be for fun.

Although he has a bachelor of science in computer science and economics, the last 20 years of Fenton’s career were spent as a manager and leader, and he was not actively involved in the hands-on technologies.

Taking classes at the Speed School is helping him achieve his goal of getting educated in newer technologies, he said. Getting back into education was a big change and he has found it to be both challenging and rewarding.

With the knowledge and skills Fenton is gaining in the program, he intends to build tools, games, or applications for mobile.

Fenton said that Ibrahim Imam, an associate professor in the computer science and engineering department, has always been available to help and provide suggestions throughout the program.

He and his wife have four children and eleven grandchildren.

Fenton believes it is very important to continue to learn no matter your age and he is intent on setting a good example for his grandchildren. He said UofL has given him an opportunity to learn something new almost every day.

Since 2010, U.S. Navy veteran and lifelong learner Harry Jacobson-Beyer, of Louisville, has enjoyed studying Spanish as a Donovan Scholar at the University of Louisville.

, offered by the state, enables senior citizens 65 years or older to take a select number of classes for free at any state-supported institution in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Jacobson-Beyer, 78, served in the U.S. Navy from 1963 to 1967. After boot camp at Great Lakes Naval Station in Chicago, he began studying electricity as a prelude to becoming an electronics technician. Several weeks later, he realized electronics technician was not the path he wished to travel.

Instead, Jacobson-Beyer became a , also known as a Boatswain’s Mate, whose responsibilities include the upkeep of the ship’s deck and hull. The U.S. Navy calls Boatswain’s Mates “the heart of every ship.”

In early 1964, he participated in a goodwill mission to Africa aboard the aircraft carrier USS Bon Homme Richard. As the Vietnam War escalated, the USS Bon Homme Richard was sent to the Philippines to load bombs and then set sail for the South China Sea. As a Bosun’s Mate 3^rd Class, Jacobson-Beyer was part of the crew that transferred fuel, food and ammunition from supply ships while at sea. He was discharged from the U.S. Navy in June 1967.

After separating from the Navy, he completed a bachelor’s degree in English and political science from the University of Kentucky in 1972. After graduation, he enrolled in the Teacher Corps, and in 1974 he received a master’s degree in education from UK. In 1979, he earned his second graduate degree, a master’s in library science, from Spalding University in Louisville.

Jacobson-Beyer’s interest in Spanish started in 2004 when he started studying at a local private language school. Shortly after he took Spanish classes at Jefferson Community and Technical College. Then he and his wife, Sherry, traveled to Central America, South America and Spain where they enrolled in language schools.

In 2010, a friend told them about the Donovan Fellowship and since then, he has been taking advantage of the opportunities the scholarships offer.

One of Jacobson-Beyer’s favorite things about taking classes at UofL are his interactions with the “focused and goal-oriented” students in his classes. Additionally, he praised the Spanish department saying, “everyone in the Spanish department is exemplary, helpful and encouraging.”

UofL honors and celebrates Jacobson-Beyer’s service in the U.S. Navy and is proud to recognize the 248th birthday of the U.S. Navy on October 13, 2023.

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Charlie Mitchell, a senior communications major from Florence, Kentucky, is one of UofL’s many U.S. Navy veteran students. Mitchell served as a personnel specialist in the Navy from January 2009 to November 2016. That service included three deployments aboard the USS George Washington (CVN73), which brought him to Hong Kong, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, Guam, Australia and Malaysia.Ěý

In March 2011 when Japan was hit by an earthquake and subsequent tsunami, Mitchell was deployed to Japan to assist in the rescue and recovery efforts. For his efforts, he received the Humanitarian Service Medal. He would subsequently go on to be awarded three United States Navy Achievement medals while serving at the Navy Operational Support Center, Louisville. In 2016, Mitchell ended his Navy career due to ongoing health issues.Ěý

Mitchell, who grew up in Northern Kentucky, has always thought of UofL as a “great school,” and adds the family he married into are “huge supporters of UofL”. When he separated from the Navy, attending UofL was a natural fit.

Currently, Mitchell is employed at Kenway Distributors in Louisville, a business owned by his wife and father in-law. When he graduates, he plans on using his communications degree to help Kenway Distributors, which has been in business for almost 70 years.

The U.S. Navy traces its roots back to the early days of the American Revolution. On October 13, 1775, the Continental Congress established a naval force, hoping that a small fleet of privateers could attack British commerceĚýand offset British sea power.

Story written by Kyle Hurwitz, director of Military Initiatives and associate director of Online Military Student Programs.Ěý