Oct. 24, 2021
Marion Yates lived the first 10 years of her life without electricity. Frank Pugliano Sr. had one of the first television sets in his neighborhood. Elijah Gardner grew up on a Southern plantation that his father operated for a white family.
All three are centenarians, people who have lived 100 years — or more.
And have they lived.
Part of the Greatest Generation, they have endured two pandemics, a Great Depression and a Great Recession. They have witnessed technological advances unfathomable to even the most imaginative mind, and they have watched as someone just 10 years their junior flew to the edge of space two weeks ago.
There are more centenarians today than at any point in history, according to the Pew Research Center.
“I am blessed,” Gardner said. “I thank God for every breath I take. I don’t want for anything.”
“I am blessed.
I thank God
for every
breath I take.
I don’t want
for anything.”
— Elijah Gardner
The world’s centenarian population is projected to grow rapidly, according to Pew, citing United Nations estimates. In 2015, there were nearly a half-million centenarians worldwide — more than four times as many as in 1990. U.N. projections suggest there will be about 3.7 million centenarians in 2050.
The most recent Social Security Administration numbers on centenarians in Pennsylvania show there were about 5,890 in 2019. That’s a miniscule percentage of the 13 million people who live in the state, but more than double from 2010, according to U.S. Census figures.
“It’s clear that more people are living to 100 in the post-industrial world and some are living to be 110, what we call supercentenarians,” said Dr. Eric G. Rodriguez, a geriatrician at UPMC Benedum Geriatric Center in Oakland.
While hitting the century mark is a reason for celebration, it’s not without hardships.
“One of the ‘rewards’ of long life is that you lose everyone and everybody close to you who has meaning to you, from spouses to friends and relatives and even your children,” Rodriguez said. “The biggest thing is to avoid isolation and to be open to learning new things like a computer, iPad and smartphone.”
Geriatrician Dr. Eric G. Rodriguez stands outside of UPMC Benedum Geriatric Center in Oakland.
Rodriguez credits many seniors’ longevity to improvements in medicine, including less invasive surgeries and vaccinations. Nutrition is better, he said.
For many, their memory — at least their long-term memory — remains vibrant.
Rodriguez said with most seniors, remembering things that happened many years ago comes more easily than recalling the recent past because it’s more difficult for the brain to retain new information. Those long-ago memories are hard-wired, he said.
There is some connection to long life being hereditary, he said. The ability to handle stress is important. If people are able to “roll with the punches,” he said, they will be able to overcome some tough times.
As they mark 100 years with parties and celebrations, a centenarian’s birthday candles illuminate more than an age. They represent a life well lived.
The following centenarians exude wisdom, humor and personality, their stories tantamount to living history.
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