While standing outside his dorm during his first two weeks at Western, William “Finley” Aubrey was mistaken repeatedly for a professor. It’s not hard to see why, because Aubrey’s the same age as many Western professors.

At 52, Aubrey is about to finish his first semester living on the 22nd floor of Pearce-Ford Tower.

Aubrey spent more than 24 years of his life making refrigerator shelves for General Electric at Collis Inc. in Elizabethtown. In April 2002, the plant closed and moved its operations to Mexico, leaving Aubrey unemployed.

Aubrey soon decided to take advantage of the federal Workforce Investment Act, which paid for 18 months of college. He attended classes at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College for three years before transferring to Western.

Aubrey said going back to school wasn’t a pleasant experience at first. He said it was hard for him to get used to school again after spending more than two decades doing factory work.

Despite the initial difficulty, taking a psychology class taught by Tracy Bratcher inspired Aubrey and caused him to move in a different direction.

“She just taught in a way that really clicked in my head,” he said.

Aubrey soon decided to pursue a degree in psychology, but he couldn’t do it at ECTC. Another problem was that most of the classes offered there were evening or weekend classes that would last several hours.

Aubrey said he likes short classes because there’s a limit to how much he can learn at a time.

Aubrey said moving into PFT was a pretty easy choice for him. He didn’t want to reduce his study time by driving back and forth between Bowling Green and Elizabethtown, where he lives with his father and brother. He also said the campus seemed like a friendly place when he came for orientation in July.

Aubrey said he didn’t look around for an apartment because he wasn’t very familiar with Bowling Green. So he settled on PFT because it seemed pretty affordable to him.

Although Aubrey has a hard time remembering the names of all the students he’s met, he said people in the dorm usually treat him with respect.

“Most people know me better than I know them because I’m kind of distinctive,” he said.

Aubrey doesn’t have a problem living with other people. His roommate is Alex Hartsell, a sophomore from Memphis, Tenn.

Hartsell said he was surprised after getting in touch with Aubrey at home before the semester began. He thought he was speaking to his roommate’s father.

Hartsell said he wasn’t alarmed at the prospect of having a 52-year-old roommate.

“It’s just another learning experience to me,” he said.

Aubrey said that Hartsell is very mature for his age, which he attributes to Hartsell being in the Marine Corps Reserves.

Hartsell said he and Aubrey don’t speak a lot, other than talking about how their day has been. Hartsell described himself as quiet and said Aubrey is usually quiet because he studies so much.

Hartsell said whenever he enters their room, he usually sees Aubrey reading a textbook or the Bible. He said he thinks they ended up in the same room because he requested a religious roommate.

Aubrey said he doesn’t know what he’s going to do with his degree, but that he has faith he will end up where he needs to be.

“God will open the door when he gets ready,” he said.

Aubrey has also gotten involved with on-campus activities, such as taking part in activities with the Baptist Student Union.

Russellville senior Chuck Williamson, a resident assistant and desk clerk in PFT, said he met Aubrey in August during MASTER Plan and was impressed with him right away.

“He’s probably the bravest person I know,” he said. “I honestly couldn’t place myself in his position, but it’s very admirable for him to continue his education at this point in his life.”

Reach Hawkins Teague at features@wkuherald.com.