Cathy Aiken and Daughter Casey Weinkauf

Mother-Daughter Earn Master’s Degrees in Education

May 21, 2007

It was a bittersweet graduation for mother and daughter graduates Cathy Aiken and Casey Weinkauf. The pair earned their master's degrees in education with an emphasis in elementary curriculum and instruction from Cal State Fullerton. While they participated in the May 19 commencement ceremonies together, one important family member was missing: Aiken’s husband and Weinkauf’s father.

At age 52, John Aiken, who taught high school math, died suddenly four years ago of a heart attack. Aiken, 53, of Anaheim, said she and her husband had planned to pursue their master’s degrees together. Instead, her daughter, who teaches fourth grade at Cyrus J. Morris Elementary School in Walnut, was at her side to earn the degree with her. Weinkauf, 26, who lives in Norco, told her mother, “I wouldn’t have been able to do this without you.” Aiken, a kindergarten teacher at Paul Revere Elementary School in Anaheim, smiled at her daughter’s comment. “It would have been better if he’d been here today. But, this is what he would have wanted,” Aiken said.

The mother-daughter duo spent many weekends studying together to achieve their educational goal. In his memory, both wore sapphire jewelry he had given them. “It was nice that we accomplished this goal together,” Weinkauf said.