麻豆影院

A tiny but growing number of Americans live to age 100 or beyond. A pair of CU centenarians (and two on the cusp) recall the 1930s.听

With one little suitcase packed with听homemade clothes, Eleanor Carlson听Flanders (Jour鈥�38) arrived at her fourth floor听room in the female-only residence听hall then known simply as 鈥淭he Dorm.鈥澨齀t was August 1934 and the Yuma, Colo.,听resident was amazed by what she saw.

鈥淢y dorm room was the best room I ever听had,鈥� Flanders said in an April interview,听recalling the scenic view of campus from听what is now called Sewall Hall. 鈥淚 thought听the Flatirons were going to fall on me.鈥澨�

With even greater awe, she glimpsed a听shower for the first time.听

鈥淚 wrote my brother and said, 鈥楧ear听little Billy, we have a bath here that听comes down like rain!鈥欌�� said Flanders, the听oldest of seven siblings who grew up on a听farm severely affected by the Dust Bowl听drought that devastated the Great Plains.听

Today there are nearly 300,000 living听CU 麻豆影院 alumni. Flanders is among听the robust few who can tell firsthand tales听of Depression-era campus life, and she鈥檚听among the tiny contingent of alumni 鈥斕齟stimated at about 60 individuals 鈥� who听have reached age 100.听

When Flanders hit the century mark听on March 27, 2016, Easter Sunday, she听became one of about 72,000 American听centenarians, a group that accounts for just听0.02 percent of the population, according听to 2014 Census data. Though centenarians听are still rare, their ranks are expanding and听they鈥檙e part of the fastest growing segment听of the U.S. population 鈥� people 65 and听older, according to Winifred Rossi of the听National Institute on Aging (NIA).听

Even at 100 and beyond, life can be good听overall, according to Rossi, deputy director听in NIA鈥檚 division of geriatrics and clinical听gerontology. NIA-funded research has听found that some centenarians experienced听delayed onset of aging-related diseases, such听as heart disease or arthritis, she said. Others听experienced no aging-related diseases at all.

鈥淔urther,鈥� Rossi said, 鈥渕any centenarians听tend to maintain their ability to function听independently, largely escaping disability.鈥�

Flanders, who lives in a retirement听community in Broomfield, Colo., didn鈥檛听think much about turning 100 until about听a month after her birthday.听

鈥淵esterday, I decided I felt like I was听100,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 was tired, and bridge听went poorly.鈥澨�

Eight decades have passed since听Flanders and her fellow CU centenarians听attended the university.听

Her first day on campus was an exciting听start to a new life 鈥� one that has generated听a century鈥檚 worth of memories. In her听junior year she met Laurence Flanders听(Fin鈥�38; Law鈥�40), her future husband. Together,听they lived through World War II,听raised four children, worked and played听golf and competitive bridge.听

Flanders鈥� favorite recreation at CU听was attending tea dances for non-Greek听members held in the Memorial Student听Union (predecessor of the University听Memorial Center and now the economics听building) along Broadway for 10 cents听every Monday evening. Required coursework听was broad, but practical.

鈥淓veryone had to take two years of听gym, pass a spelling test and pass a swimming听test to graduate from CU with any听degree,鈥� said Flanders, who majored in听journalism because she was enamored by听the adventures of Brenda Starr, a comic听strip character who was a reporter.听

Helen Duhon (Jour鈥�38), also 100, was听Flanders鈥� classmate in the journalism听school, then housed in the basement听of Old Main. She was in the Tri-Delta听sorority and wrote news for the student听newspaper of the day, The Silver and Gold,听and a person-on-the-street column called听鈥淲hat Do You Think?鈥澨�

After a full career 鈥� including 21 years听as assistant editor at the Colorado Alumnus,听苍辞飞 Coloradan magazine 鈥� Duhon,听originally from Nebraska, leads a quiet听life in 麻豆影院. She enjoys company and听having people read to her, especially听from newspapers.听

鈥淟ife seemed pretty busy and it moves听along really fast as you get older,鈥� she said.听鈥淵ou don鈥檛 think about being 100 at all.鈥澨�

There are far more women centenarians听than men, consistent with mortality trends听by sex. According to Census data from听2014, there were 58,468 women and 13,729听men centenarians in the U.S., or 4.2 woman听centenarians for every man.听

On the cusp of turning a century old听is Basil Indermill (Pharm鈥�40). He听turns 100 next May.听

Age has only increased his love for life.听

鈥淚 feel alive,鈥� he said with enthusiasm in a听phone interview from his home in Oceanside,听Calif. 鈥淚 wake every morning anxious to听see what is going to happen during the day.鈥澨�

Indermill, one of eight siblings, moved听to 麻豆影院 from his family鈥檚 ranch in Two听Buttes, Colo., near the Kansas and Oklahoma听state borders, in 1936, and recalls living听off 85 cents a week his first year at CU.听

He enrolled in the pharmacy college (now听part of CU Denver) intending to follow in听his older brother鈥檚 footsteps. But along听the way, through some elective courses,听he discovered an interest in woodworking听and machinery. It grew into a livelihood,听and Indermill operated a machine shop in听Bakersfield, Calif., for 30 years.听

Today, he lives with his daughter Kathy,听66, and enjoys walking, croquet, exploring听the internet and writing.听

鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 trade me for anybody,鈥� he said.听

For all the variety in their lives, today鈥檚听centenarians (and those soon to be) all听share memories of World War II.听

Martin Trotsky (Acct鈥�42), 98, arrived at听CU in the depths of the Great Depression.听In 1938, he was a 20-year-old freshman听from New Haven, Conn., and was living听off $15 a month 鈥� enough to dine on skim听milk and spaghetti, as he put it.听

A star athlete in baseball and basketball听who took business classes in the Woodbury听building, Trotsky was part of the 1940听basketball team that won the National听Invitational Tournament. He joined a听fraternity and met his future wife, 骋濒辞谤颈补听(Mus鈥�43), at a fall dance.

In his senior year, World War II听completely changed Trotsky鈥檚 life. He听recalls listening to the radio in December听and learning that Pearl Harbor had been听bombed. He called out to the six other听men in the Phi Sigma Delta fraternity听house dining room: 鈥淵ou better get your听draft cards ready. We鈥檙e at war.鈥澨�

Trotsky joined the Marine Corps and听spent four years after graduation as an air听combat intelligence officer and captain听in the Gilbert, Marshall and Mariana听Islands in the Pacific.听

As he approaches 100, Trotsky recalls听the time solemnly, reflecting on people he听knew who were killed in battle.听

鈥淚 was very lucky,鈥� he said from the听Denver condominium where he and听Gloria, 95, live.听

Flanders views the war as a test of听her resilience and strength. While her听husband spent three years in both the听Atlantic and the Pacific on the battleship听Nevada after it narrowly escaped听the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor,听she spent much time alone, taking care听of their first child and their home in听Longmont. The couple鈥檚 third anniversary听was on D-Day; he was anchored just听1,000 yards offshore of Utah Beach.听

鈥淚 faced the possibility that he might听never return,鈥� she said, adding that he听managed to send her flowers.听

Flanders said the independence she听learned at CU 麻豆影院 helped her get听through the war and helps her enjoy old age.听She uses a computer daily to email friends,听look up her score in bridge and even to听manage her money on a spreadsheet. She听lives alone, contentedly, and after a听century听of living still looks forward to what鈥檚 next.听

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Photos courtesy Eleanor Carlson Flanders听