Campus & Community

Mother/daughter graduate from Extension School

1 min read

They’re not exactly a “mother-daughter team,” but Rosemary Dowling, 79, of Dorchester, and her daughter, Rosemary McCarthy, 55, of Duxbury, graduated in tandem from the Harvard Extension School with their Bachelor of Liberal Arts (A.L.B.) degrees on June 7. Both Rosemarys worked on their degrees over the past 10 years, commuting together, and enrolling in most of the same courses. They are the first mother and daughter to graduate from the Harvard Extension School with the same degree in the same year.

Rosemary Dowling retired from a position at the main U.S. Post Office in Boston 13 years ago, while Rosemary McCarthy currently works as both an interior designer and artist. John Dowling, son and brother respectively, graduated with his A.L.M. in biology from the Extension School in 2000, and was instrumental in introducing his mother and sister to Harvard and providing inspiration to help them achieve their goals.

Both Rosemary Dowling and Rosemary McCarthy plan on pursuing a master’s degree at the Extension School beginning this fall.