Lottie Lynd Becomes Centenarian

OCEAN SPRINGS -- May 15 was a day of celebration for residents at Ocean Springs Nursing Home, who helped family and friends honor centenarian Lottie Lynd.

One of 10 children, Lynd was born 1910 to Newton Broadnax and Clara Cheshire Broadnax in Bastrop, La. She is the last surviving sibling.

Lynd has lived at the nursing home for three years, among the years she has lived in South Mississippi after relocating here at age 14. She married Earnest Lynd in 1926 and lived in Biloxi until 1941 when the family moved to Ocean Springs. The couple was married 69 years when Earnest Lynd passed away.

Known as Mrs. Lottie, she has a daughter and son, Louise Murphy and Jerry Lynd, five grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, one great-great grandchild, and several nieces and nephews.

Mrs. Lynd was born the same year that the Boy Scouts on Feb. 8 and Camp Fire Girls on Nov. 10 were founded, the year Mark Twain died on April 21, Mother Theresa was born Aug. 26 as well as Bonnie Parker on Oct. 1.

As well, Great Fire of 1910 that started near Elk City, Idaho. The fire killed 85 people, burned an estimated 1.2 million acres, destroyed several small towns and about half of Wallace, Idaho, leaving thousands without homes and businesses. The raging blaze burn Aug. 20 and Aug. 21.

Ocean Springs Nursing Home is part of the Gulf Coast Health Care.

Information for this article was obtained from www.gulflive.com/themississippipress on May 20, 2010, and other sources.

Actress Gloria Stuart turns 99

Actress Gloria Stuart is among a number of celebrities who personally have a reason to celebrate the Fourth of July along with the rest of the country. Man, what it must be like to have the whole country officially celebrate your birth date with you. Extraordinary.

Stuart, ironically, had her most noted role today as a 100-year-old in the 1997 film Titanic, portraying storyteller Rose DeWitt Bukater.

Read Stuart's biography

www.wikipedia.org

Independence Day 2009 marks 233 years since America's Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence from British rule in 1776.

Ironically, in 1826, 50 years after signing the declaration, former Presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died on July 4.

In 1959, 50 years ago today, a 49-star flag was unfurled to honor the statehood of Alaska; a year later in 1960, today's 50-star flag honored Hawaii's statehood.

Other celebrities, now senior citizens, who join other citizens also celebrating their birthday today include advice columnist Pauline Phillips, 91; actresses Eva Marie Saint, 85, and Gina Lollobrigida, 82; playwright Neil Simon, 82; baseball team owner George Steinbrenner, 79; singer Bill Withers, 71; broadcast journalist Geraldo Rivera, 66.

Stuart in Here Comes the Navy in 1934

There are several other celebrities who've made it to their fifties, but to remain true to the age-range of 99andbeyond, we will leave them unmentioned .... well, OK. Rhythm-and blues musician Ralph Johnson is 58. Rock musician Domingo Ortiz is 57. Singer John Waite is 54.

But that's the last name ....aaaahhhh .... Malia Obama made 11 years old today.