What: 109th birthday celebration for Evelyn Ralston, the oldest person in the Chicago area. Evelyn will gather with family and friends to mark her birthday with music and a special birthday cake.
Who: Evelyn was born on Chicago’s northwest side on October 17, 1899, and has lived at Mather Place at The Georgian in Evanston, IL for more than 21 years. Mather Place at The Georgian is part of Mather LifeWays, a 60-year-old not-for-profit based in Evanston, Illinois that enhances the lives of older adults by creating Ways to Age WellSM. Next year, when she turns 110, Evelyn will truly bring the Mather LifeWays mission to life when she moves to The Mather, a new Continuing Care Retirement Community now being built across the street from her current home. At 110, she will become a “super centenarian,” a person who has made it 110, an age only 1 in nearly 6 million ever reaches.
Why: Evelyn is believed to be the oldest person living in the state of Illinois and one of a select few nationwide who have reached her age. There are only 75 people alive worldwide—64 women and 11 men—who are 110 or older, according to the Gerontology Research Group, a California-based organization that verifies extreme age.
Evelyn is one of only a few people who have lived in three centuries and is a perfect example of an older adult who has Aged Well!
When: Friday, October 17, 2008; 4:00−5:00 p.m.
Where: Mather Place at The Georgian, 422 Davis Street, Evanston, IL 60201.
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