Winn-Dixie Supermarkets supplied enough cupcakes to make two “100” designs for the celebration. Penny Fletcher Photo
South County’s 2014 Celebration of Centenarians was its largest ever, with 30 people 100 years or older, or who will reach their 100th birthday this year, in attendance.
Last year’s attendance was 23, and organizers thought this year’s might break the Guinness Book of World Records.
“It would have,” said Charlotte Clark, one of the six-person committee that put the event together, “except that Clearwater recently had a similar event that drew 39.”
The 30 honored were mostly from Sun City Center, where the event was held in Community Hall on May 8, but invitations were for anyone in the area who was — or is about to be — a centenarian.
Winn-Dixie Supermarkets supplied enough cupcakes to make the number 100 on two large areas on a table making them look like two cakes. Other sponsors included Harriet’s Flowers, Lanese & Associates, Barbara Van Eycken, who supplied the music, and Steve Overton, former television personality and newsman who is now working in Sun City Center with Morgan Stanley.
The businesses are mentioned because the Sun City Center Chamber of Commerce, under the direction of Larry Brigant, supplied a chamber Ambassador as a guide and helper for each person.
Sherell Bennett and Natalia Diaz from South Bay Hospital, Charlotte Clark from American Momentum Bank, and Jo Bull, representing the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay, worked on the event for many months with the event’s first organizer, resident Spencer Faircloth, a former White House staffer; and Evelyn Lunsford, who has worked long and hard with the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay and the Greater Sun City Center branch of that Foundation that helps causes all over South County.
These people gathered short biographies of each person and put on a “This is Your Life” presentation for the attendees that brought many memories and joyful tears to honorees and guests alike.
Four generations of Margaret Null’s family showed up to celebrate. They are, Null, Barbara Mignogna, Jeff and Jax. The event was held at Community Hall in Sun City Center, and many from the community, including county and local dignitaries, were present. Penny Fletcher Photo
The eldest of the centenarians was Ruth Allen, 104, who grew up in Iowa and worked many years as an obstetric nurse. Ruth volunteered with the Sun City Center Emergency Squad for more than 20 years and still is an active volunteer in the community.
Ruth said a good outlook and good genes helped her, because “I never did what I was supposed to. I even smoked for 70 years,” she said. “So I have no advice to give young people.” She said she has had a happy and enjoyable life she would not want to change.
The second-eldest centenarian was Arabella Arnold, who at 102 tells you right off that she is a Christian and a Republican. Her beliefs are the most important things in her life, along with her family, and her advice to younger people is: “Always do good things and never tell your age!”
Carl Gladfelter, 102, says he was fortunate because his career thrived during the Great Depression. He has met many famous people, including Walter Cronkite, who was a close friend. His advice to stay alive many years is to take good care of the body. He, unlike Allen, has never smoked and says he has always lived a good clean life.
Dorothy Rosssel, who is now 101, worked as an RN and remembers her first salary being $60 a month. A member of a family of 14 children, she had two herself, as well as five grandchildren.
Lois Witte at 100 is learning new computer programs. Her daughter recently got her a computer, and Lois is learning how to operate the Dragon program where you speak into the computer instead of typing. She hopes this will be a way she can record her lifetime of memories for her daughter and granddaughter.
“It’s hard to get the program to recognize the exact words you say,” Witte said. “But it is getting used to me, and I am getting more comfortable with it.”
Nine people who are currently 99 were also honored because they will reach their 100th birthday in 2014. They are Mary Boisseree, Robert Emgelhardt, Irma Houlihan, Audrey Meeker, Connie Naccarato, Margaret Null, Bernard Pagels, Connie Strunc and Ava Vormwald.
