(PHILADELPHIA) Thursday, May 18, 2017 – Luke Flora, of West Philly, was the city’s first female shoe-repair specialist managing three shops and a hairdresser serving Philadelphians, “from head to toe,” back in the 1940s. Edith Kutcher has worked at the Time Life Library/Klein branch in Northeast Philly for more than 30 years, and still takes a daily librarian shift. Center City’s Eve Rudin helped her husband in his oil business pumping gas into huge transport rigs.
They are just a few of the seemingly ageless active Centenarians who have weaved the mosaic of Philadelphia’s grand and glorious history. Some of the centenarians have been witness to the advent of automobiles, airplanes, refrigeration, television and computers.

To celebrate their lives, legacy and longevity, Mayor Jim Kenney today hosted the 17th Annual Mayor’s Centenarians’ Celebration, a luncheon to pay tribute to Philadelphia’s oldest seniors — residents who are at least 100 years old. The event took place at the SugarHouse Casino on Delaware Avenue.

The celebration has become a city tradition. Mayor Kenney recognized the contributions of 550 centenarians in Philadelphia — home of one of the nation’s largest centenarian populations. Nearly 179 known seniors will turn 100 in Philadelphia this year, accruing to the regional office of the Social Security Administration. More than 110 Philadelphia centenarians, among the largest in the event’s history, attended this birthday gala — along with family, friends and caretakers.
The event is designed to recognize the accomplishments of Philadelphia’s centenarians, or those soon-to-be centenarians who will be 100 in 2017. This year’s theme is “Fortune Smiles on Centenarians.” Philadelphia residents were required to be 100 years old this year, based on Social Security Administration records, to be officially invited to the luncheon.

“Philadelphia has one of the largest centenarian populations in the country, and each year we recognize their legacy and achievements,” said Mayor Kenney. “Our centenarians have helped shape our city’s history as a life line and living link connecting the past to the present. There are very few centenarian celebrations of this magnitude, and so we feel privileged to have the opportunity to honor a distinguished group that has worked and raised families in our neighborhoods — contributing to the city’s growth and change.”

Mayor Kenney presented remarks, a ceremonial proclamation officially declaring today as “Centenarians Celebration Day in Philadelphia” as part of a national observance of Older Americans Month in May. The mayor also posed in front of the huge ceremonial “100” birthday cake with the event’s oldest male centenarian in attendance, Eli P. Zebooker, a 104-year-old born in South Philadelphia, as well as Northeast Philadelphia’s Barnetta Williams, age 109, the oldest female centenarian and person at the event. Born in Midway, Alabama, Williams – the youngest of nine children — is a passionate cook (pound cake and chicken & dumplings are her specialties) and needlework hobbyist. She was a beautician by trade and owner of a chicken, pig and goat farm. She literally raised cane, milled rice and made syrup. Her education was cut short so she could assist on her family’s farm. She met her future husband Henry Williams at a boarding house where she worked, and they married after one month and later had one child, David. In 2017, the family matriarch, who will turn 110 (known as a supercentenarian) in October, is respected for her earnest life as well as her tireless energy and sharp wit. She spent almost all of her years in Alabama, moving in 2016 to be with her great grand daughter, Darlene Callands, in the city’s Mayfair section.

There are 550 known Philadelphia Centenarians including 179, such as Williams turning 100 this year, according to the regional Social Security Administration and one-quarter of them registered to the event. The secret to longevity, according to Williams who eats healthy, is to follow the golden rule and treat people like you would want to be treated.

Dr. Zebooker is a former Center City dentist, avid reader of history, collector of rare Philadelphia maps/prints/books and a Second World War U.S. army veteran who served in France and Germany. His Society Hall apartment is filled with about 40 world maps, some dating back to 1730. In 2010, he donated his 50-year-old collection of Philadelphia maps, including 18th-Century rare finds, to the Athenaeum of Philadelphia (in Society Hill), resulting in an exhibition “Philadelphia Places on Paper.” He graduated from Franklin & Marshall College and the University of Pennsylvania Dental School.

The vibrant Dr. Zebooker has been married to his wife, Janet, for a remarkable 70 years. He has two children. In a project spawned by the Office of the City Representative Office, Dr. Zebooker will be featured in a book of centenarian portraits nationwide by Rizzoli USA Publishing called IF I LIVE TO BE 100: THE WISDOM OF CENTENARIANS published this year.

Mayor Kenney presented Williams and Dr. Zebooker with the first slices of birthday cake resembling a 100 design.

More than 30 of the centenarians in attendance were born in Philadelphia. The oldest Philadelphia-born residents attending the luncheon were 105: Goldie Johnson, Josephine Cetera, Zelma Finnegan and Reba Swinger. They were born in 1912 when the average life expectancy for women was 51.8 years and Republican Rudolph Blankenburg was Mayor of Philadelphia.

Many of the Philly-born residents had accomplished careers, while some centenarians got their starts outside of the United States, and were born in countries including Poland, Jamaica, China, the Soviet Union, Ukraine and Italy.

Mayor Kenney posed for photographs with each of the centenarians. The centenarians received tokens of appreciation and acknowledgements from the City to commemorate the occasion. The room was decorated with special nostalgic photos featuring Philadelphia’s past and present, a video of an illustrated Philadelphia history was shown and participants brought photos of themselves from their youth.

During the event, Southwest Philadelphia artist D’Nai Harrison painted a Philadelphia skyline scene on wood and presented the rendering to Williams, the oldest person. Harrison is a Penn State graduate who has worked in the art world since age 16 including honing her skills in the Philadelphia Mural Arts program.

Joining the Mayor and participating in the celebration were speakers: City Representative Sheila Hess (the program emcee); Lydia Hernandez Velez, Deputy Managing Director for Aging/Mayor’s Commission on Aging; Louis Colbert, Vice President of Operations of the Philadelphia Corporation for the Aging; Dan O’Connor, Regional Communications Director, Social Security Administration/Philadelphia Region and U.S. Senator’s Bob Casey’s Regional Director and Senior Adviser, Cheryl Bullock. Rabbi Michael Perice, who presented the blessing. Performing for the centenarians were: The Blackbird Society Orchestra conducted by Richard Barnes, a 1920s-30s-era band, the South Philadelphia Older Adult Center Line Dancers and Hardly Ables Older Adult Mummer’s Band.
“This is truly a salute to our Centenarians and a celebration for the ages,” said City Representative Hess whose department produced the event. “They are our precious seniors who are living legacies and first-hand witnesses to Philadelphia’s long and illustrious heritage. They deserve our recognition and respect for a lifetime of honorable contributions.”

The world’s oldest verified living person currently is Violet Brown, age 117, who lives in Jamaica, according to the Gerontology Research Group, which tracks the centenarian population worldwide. The United States’ oldest known person is South Carolina-born Delphine Gibson, of Huntingdon County in Pennsylvania, at 113 years old.
Through the cooperation of the Regional Office of the Social Security Administration, invitations from Mayor Kenney were sent to Philadelphia’s centenarians. According to the Social Security Administration, there are 1,435 turning 100 in Pennsylvania (449 fewer than in 2016) and 118, 670 Centenarians, mostly women, recorded in the U.S. today.

The Mayor’s Centenarian Celebration was established in May 2001 during national Older Americans Month. It was part of the City’s efforts to mark the anniversary of the completion of the historic century-old City Hall. The first Centenarian luncheon was held at City Hall with about 70 centenarians in attendance.

The Office of the City Representative (OCR) promotes Philadelphia by producing and supporting events throughout the city. It serves as an entry point and one-stop liaison for community and private organizations that wish to foster a relationship with the City and effectively host events in Philadelphia.

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