Mothers and daughters share a lot during their lives. But one such duo
shared something special Friday night: walking across the stage and earning master’s degrees from
Bowling Green State University.Ann Frake, Oakwood, and her daughter, Jacquelyn Frake Davis, accomplished
this at commencement this past weekend.Frake received her online master’s of arts in English,
specializing in language arts teaching. Davis received her master’s in educational administration and
supervision.For Frake, it meant doing something she’d initially not really wanted to do: go back to
school.“I had an English degree,” she said. “I’d gotten an English degree about 30 years ago from
Northern Illinois University, and didn’t have much interest in going for a master’s then.But my husband
got his master’s and, you know, my children going through college – we have two daughters – I’d gone
through the forms, doing FAFSAs, and I’d just enjoyed talking about their classes and just got that
going again.”The idea crystallized when her daughter graduated from her undergraduate program about five
years ago.“And, more to the point, Bowling Green came up with the wonderful online program for English
majors,” Frake said.The program took Frake two years and one semester to complete, and at times posed
something of a challenge.“I hadn’t been in school for almost 30 years when I started the program. Then
it was online,” she said. “I love my laptop and I love the internet and I like online, and I was
thinking, that’s good. I wasn’t really intimidated to begin with. And yet, there were moments when I was
pretty intimidated. There was still a pretty good leaning curve on the technology when I got into it.
People were really nice in my classes and I would ask stupid questions and they would be very patient
anyway. And that was great.”The graduation of both mother and daughter on the same night wasn’t
originally in the cards.“We sure didn’t plan on that,” said Frake. “We didn’t start with that. And it
seemed like it was going to be a miss a couple of times. But mine got delayed a semester, and she took
an option to wait to walk. (Jacquelyn) could have walked” earlier this year, “and she opted to wait to
walk with me. And so that just made it all the nicer, all the sweeter.”Davis herself, newly married to
her “Falcon Flame” Garrett Davis, teaches Spanish at Wayne Trace High School in Haviland. She completed
her degree through a blend of online and face-to-face classes.Frake currently teaches composition at
Northwest State Community College in Archbold – also a new development as of last semester.“Before this
I did not work at a community college. That’s a new job for me … to teach at a community college
level. And I just really have enjoyed this past semester. It has been great.”“I had subbed in the public
schools for around 10 years, but I really like having my own classes. I like the interaction with the
students. I just really enjoyed it,” she said. “I enjoyed planning classes that weren’t boring.”