Do you know someone who is 100?

If so, Tuesday, September 22nd is their day. That day, centenarians all over the United States will be celebrated for their longevity. A centenarian is someone who has reached the age of 100 or above. Centenarians are one of the fastest growing segments of our population and there are nearly 100,000 in the United States today.

Morningside Ministries will celebrate Centenarian's Day with 12 residents this year. A very select group, they equal just 1.5% of the total resident population at Morningside. Three more residents will turn 100 before the end of the year.

Imagine the incredible journey they have had and all the things they have seen in their life. Today's centenarians were born when Theodore Roosevelt was president, the American flag had only 46 stars, eggs cost 14 cents a dozen, milk was 8 cents a quart and postage stamps were two cents each. Radio and vaudeville were popular and Burl Ives, Benny Goodman, Jessica Tandy, Al Capp, Douglas Fairbanks and Barry Goldwater were all born 100 years ago.

In 1909, the average worker made just 22 cents an hour or around $600 a year and life expectancy was under 50 years old. There were 76,000,000 people in the United States and only 8,000 cars with 10 miles of paved roads.

Notable events in 1909 include the discovery of the magnetic South Pole, the founding of the NAACP, the beginning of construction on the RMS Titanic, the establishment of the city of Tel Aviv, Israel and the foundation of a new U.S. naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. 1909 also brought us Lipton tea, the electric toaster, the Lincoln penny, Kewpie dolls and the passage of the 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, authorizing a federal income tax.

This doesn't come close to all the scientific, medical, engineering or technological advancements, political, economic and ideological changes and innovations in transportation and communications that they have witnessed during their lifetimes. Imagine all they have seen! If you know someone who is a centenarian, take the time to sit down and talk with them. You can learn a lot about their history and the history of the world we live in.

by Jennifer Van Cleave, Director of Communications for Morningside Ministries