PHILADELPHIA (May 19, 2016) – Luke Flora, of West Philly, was a pioneer as the first female shoe-repair specialist in Philadelphia back in 1948. Fox Chase’s Stanley Nanczuk, a U.S. marine, fought valiantly in the battle of Iwo Jima in the Second World War. Approaching 100 in July, he is a living legacy. Center City’s Annette Rothstein, soon to be 100, was a famous Lindy dancer in Philly during the 1930s swing dancing and jitterbugging well into her 90s.
They are just a few of the seemingly ageless active Centenarians who have weaved the grand and glorious mosaic of Philadelphia’s history.
To celebrate their lives, legacy and longevity, Mayor Jim Kenney today hosted The 16th Annual Mayor’s Centenarians’ Celebration, a luncheon to pay tribute to Philadelphia’s most precious seniors – residents who are at least 100 years old – at the Sheet Metal Workers Union Hall in South Philadelphia today.
The event has become a city tradition. Mayor Kenney recognized the contributions of 549 centenarians in Philadelphia – home of one of the nation’s largest centenarian populations. Nearly 203 known seniors will turn 100 in Philadelphia this year. More than 125 Philadelphia centenarians, the largest in the event 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 2016. This year’s theme is “Saluting Centenarians: A Celebration for the Ages.” Philadelphia residents were required to be 100 years old during 2016, based on Social Security Administration records, in order to be officially invited to the luncheon.
“Philadelphia has one of the nation’s largest populations of centenarians, and so it is a great privilege to honor their legacy and achievements,” said Mayor Kenney. “Our centenarians have helped shape our city’s history and are a vital part of our vibrant neighborhoods. These amazing residents have worked and raised families in Philadelphia, witnessing firsthand the city’s growth and change through their own unique perspective. In fact, remarkably one of our active centenarians, Edith Kutcher from Northeast Philly, still works today at the Time Life Library. My administration is committed to providing services so that every citizen, especially our seniors, can lead high-quality, independent lives.”
Mayor Kenney presented remarks, a ceremonial program officially declaring today as “Centenarians Celebration Day in Philadelphia” as part of Older Americans Month. He also posed in front of the huge ceremonial “100” birthday cake with the event’s oldest male centenarian in attendance, Dr. Eli P. Zebooker, a 103-year-old born in South Philadelphia, as well as West Philadelphia’s Fannie Mae Ausby, age 109, the oldest female centenarian and person at the event.
Born in Augusta, GA, Ausby is an only child who briefly married (she has one son). She later moved to Philadelphia in her later years. She completed four years of schooling and worked various jobs including as a private home-care giver. She is an avid gardener, music lover and a big fan of John Wayne westerns. She enjoys traveling and soul food. Ausby has seen about 19 presidents in her lifetime, and her favorites were the Roosevelts – Teddy and Franklin D. During World War II, she took up farming to make ends meet, raising chickens and a field of produce. The secret to longevity, according to Ausby, is to try to “live right, eat right, and love God.”
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, whom in past years has walked to the event location, has been married to his wife, Janet, for a remarkable 68 years. He has two children. He celebrated his birthday in April with his family who visited him from around the country. In a project spawned by the Office of the City Representative, 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 in September.
After posing for photos and presenting Ausby and Dr. Zebooker with the first slices of birthday cake resembling a 100 design, Mayor Kenney took individual photos with all of the Centenarians.
The oldest Philadelphia-born resident attending the luncheon was South Philly’s Celeste Zambino, who will be 105 in September. She was born in 1911 when the average life expectancy was 53 years and Republican Rudolph Blankenburg was Mayor of Philadelphia.
More than 40 of the centenarians in attendance were born in Philadelphia. Many of them have had accomplished lives, and some were born outside the United States in countries including Poland, Jamaica and Italy. Catalina Rolon, 101, was born in 1915 in the small town of Aibonito in Puerto Rico, moving to Philadelphia in 1959 with her husband Thomas and seven children. Politics was her passion; she worked with her mother on a political campaign resulting in the first Puerto Rican governor to be chosen in a free election – Luis Munoz Marin. At age 52, the Port Richmond resident volunteered for relief missions to Venezuela and later Honduras.
Mayor Kenney posed for photographs with each of the centenarians in attendance. 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 past and present, a video of an illustrated Philadelphia history was shown and participants brought photos of themselves from their youth.
Joining the Mayor and participating in the celebration as speakers were: City Representative Sheila Hess (the program emcee); Lydia Hernandez Velez, Deputy Managing Director for Aging/Mayor’s Commission on Aging; Holly Lange, Executive Director of the Philadelphia Corporation for the Aging; Dan O’Connor, Regional Communications Director, Social Security Administration/Philadelphia Region, and the Rev. James S. Hall, pastor of Triumph Baptist Church, who presented the blessing. Performing for the centenarians were The Blackbird Society Orchestra, a 1920s-30s-era band, and line dancers from the South Philadelphia Older Adult Center.
The world’s oldest verified living person currently lives in Europe. Emma Morano, age 116, from Verbania, Italy is the only known living person who was born in the 1800s.
Through the cooperation of the Regional Office of the Social Security Administration, invitations from Mayor Nutter were sent to Philadelphia’s centenarians. The largest centenarian populations represented at the luncheon were from the Germantown/Mt. Airy/Chestnut Hill sections of Philadelphia, followed by West Philadelphia and South/Southwest Philadelphia. There are about 53,000 centenarians nationwide, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau. According to the regional office of the Social Security Administration, there are 4,993 centenarians in Pennsylvania – a slight decrease of 147 from 2015.
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.
About the Office of the City Representative
The Office of the City Representative organizes and facilitates special and ceremonial events for the City of Philadelphia while serving as its marketing, promotion, public relations and branding department. Connect with us on online by visiting alpha.phila.gov/departments/city-representative and following us on social media (@PhillyCityRep) to stay up to date with the latest information on our events.