IDAHO FALLS, Idaho -- Clyde Wagnon tried retirement 25 years ago and decided he didn't like it.

"Retirement is a total bore," he said.

Sixty-three years after graduating from Oklahoma State University with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, 90-year-old Wagnon is going back to school.

Monday was Wagnon's first day of classes at Stevens-Henager College in Idaho Falls, where he plans to earn a master's degree in business administration. Wagnon doesn't know what he'll do once he receives his new degree, but that's not stopping him.

"We'll see where it leads," he said. "I'm looking forward, not backwards."

Wagnon said having a master's will open new doors for him when he's done, whether that means teaching or running his own company.

Wagnon's three children have been very supportive of his continuing education, which Wagnon appreciates.

"They're my cheering section," he said.

When Wagnon's daughter, Kathy Saco of Salmon, found out he was going back to school, she wanted to know why, but she wasn't too surprised about her father's decision. She said he has always kept his mind occupied with reading, playing Scrabble and doing crossword puzzles.

"Knowing my dad, he just has to keep his brain busy," Saco said. "Nothing he does surprises me."

One person who was surprised with Wagnon's decision was Felicia Little, manager at the College Education Center at Stevens-Henager.

"(Wagnon's) by far the oldest student we have," she said. "It was kind of shocking when he said he was 90 years old."

Little said most of the school's students are nontraditional: They've been out of high school for perhaps 10 or more years, may be going back to school for advanced degrees or are considering changing careers. Wagnon is in the latter group.

He owned a business in Denver for 25 years and then spent the past quarter-century selling specialized mobile homes and real estate in Arizona and Wyoming. Most recently, he took care of his ill wife, who died about two years ago. He moved to Idaho Falls last year.

Now, Wagnon is looking for a new challenge. He's energized and is looking forward to graduating and finding a new career -- especially since he thinks he has another 45 or so years to live.

"I've been looking for something I could really put my teeth into," Wagnon said. "I've got to do something worthwhile with that time."