Yahoo News Bridge of Allan AI graduate becomes one of Stirling Uni's oldest at 83
A Bridge of Allan man has added becoming one of the University of Stirling’s oldest ever graduates to his long list of lifetime experiences.
John Gallivan, aged 83,was awarded a Post Graduate Diploma in Artificial Intelligence from the uni at last Thursday’s ceremony.
He attended the ceremony with family including his granddaughter Sophie.
While US President Joe Biden may have been under pressure over questions about his age - the leader of the western world is a full two years younger than John.
Son Tom said: “I’m not sure if he’s the oldest graduate at the university but I’d imagine he must be close.
“He took [the course] for no other reason than he is interested in the subject and having worked in the oil industry was curious about the applications of AI in the field.”
John’s academic achievements, however, began more than 50 years ago.
And his lust for life and expertise have seen him pack enough achievements and experiences to cover several lifetimes.
John obtained a PhD in Particle Physics from California Institute of Technology back in 1970.
During his time in California he watched the Rolling Stones play at their famous gig at Altamont, saw Tina and Ike Turner perform and saw Pele play at the Maracana stadium in Rio.
He went onto work as a physicist at the Conseil European pour la recherche nucleaire - commonly known as CERN, in Geneva.
Married to a Scot, Margaret Gallivan from Bridge of Allan, the couple had three boys in Geneva before moving to Scotland in 1979.
He then moved away from physics to become a petroleum engineer working for Britoil and latterly BP.
The octogenarian now lives in Bridge of Allan - and has hosted three Ukrainian refugees at his home for the last two years.
“They speak Russian and my dad is a fluent Russian speaker,” said Tom, “so it works very well and he loves having them to stay.
“He is a keen musician and regularly attends Stirling Folk Club and is also a member of Stirling Gaelic Choir.”
