That was in the 1940s. Now, at the age of 79, Venable is a great-grandmother and the proud holder of a diploma.
Venable earned a General Educational Development diploma on Tuesday when she passed her final math test.
She sailed through science, social studies and other tests, but math didn't come easily. The Winston-Salem Journal reports Venable spent the last five months studying practice tests and working with a tutor to learn algebra and geometry.
She said she didn't know it would be quite so difficult, but she was determined to finish. She didn't want to drop out of school twice.
Venable now has six grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. She hopes to inspire other people who think they're too old to finish school.
