Mom who attended every class with quadriplegic son gets honorary MBA

Chapman University has awarded an honorary degree to the mother of a quadriplegic student after she attended every class with him and took his notes while he pursued his master’s degree in business administration.

Judy O’Connor, a retired elementary school teacher, pushed her son, Marty, in his wheelchair for him to receive his degree during commencement Saturday in Orange.

Then a choked-up graduation announcer said the school’s faculty, administrators and board of trustees had decided to give her an MBA. The idea for the surprise honorary degree came from her son.

A stunned but composed Judy O’Conner blew a kiss to the crowd giving her a standing ovation.

“I’m a geek. I love being in school,� she said before the ceremony. “I’m not going to lie. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.�

Marty O’Connor received an undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado and was working as a salesman for a packaging industry company in 2012 when he fell down a flight of stairs and was paralyzed.

“After I got hurt, I didn’t know which end was up. I didn’t really have a direction,� Marty O’Connor said in a story on the school’s website. “I needed that mental challenge and wanted to add some professional value to myself.�

His mother was living in Florida but moved to Southern California to help her son earn his MBA.

He uses an iPad, laptop, voice-recognition software and a special mouth stylus to communicate but could not take notes or write the answers to tests. So his mother did.

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