100 YEARS YOUNG IN TIME, HAPPINESS IS GRANDKIDS AND A GOOD HAIRDRESSER.Byline: DENNIS McCARTHY Dennis McCarthy may refer to:
The summons summons: see procedure. summons In law, written notification that one is required to appear in court. In civil (noncriminal) cases, it notifies a defendant that he or she must appear and defend (e.g. came by e-mail. Edith wanted to see me, her friend said. She was turning 100, and for her birthday she wanted to meet that ``nice young man Dennis McCarthy who writes for the newspaper.'' Nice young man? Bless her heart and poor eyesight eye·sight n. 1. The faculty of sight; vision. 2. Range of vision; view. . It's been 30 years since anyone called me a nice, young man, and that was probably my mother. I stopped by the beauty salon Salon, annual exhibition of art works chosen by jury and presented by the French Academy since 1737; it was originally held in the Salon d'Apollon of the Louvre. By the mid-19th cent. the Salon had become an expression of conservative, established tastes in art. Friday morning to surprise Edith Hooper hoop·er n. A maker or repairer of barrels and tubs; a cooper. and wish her a happy birthday. You've got to love this woman's style. She was spending her 100th birthday getting her hair done. Her family and church were throwing her a big wingding wing·ding n. Informal A lavish or lively party or celebration. [Origin unknown.] this weekend, and Edith - who's outlived two husbands - wanted to look like a million bucks just in case there were any single men around. She gave me a big smile and a hug, and when I looked into her face I saw my grandmother's face. She would have been 100 this year, too, rest her soul. They would have been good friends, Edith and my grandmother. Near the end, at 79, only two things put a real smile on her face - watching her grandkids grow up and having her hair done once a week. Edith - with five grandkids, three great-grandkids, and one hairdresser - understood completely. The great thing about making it to 100 with your health intact, she says, is you find yourself smiling now more than you ever did. Because every new day is a gift, and every new person you meet is a friend. ``That's why I wanted to meet you,'' she said. ``You write about interesting people, real people - doing different, good things.'' I've got a few desk drawers filled with journalism honors I've been fortunate enough to win over the years, but I'd trade them all in a second for those two sentences from Edith. She walked into a fancy Ventura Boulevard Ventura Boulevard is one of the primary east-west thouroughfares in the San Fernando Valley; as it was originally a part of the El Camino Real (the trail between Spanish missions), Ventura Boulevard is the oldest route in the San Fernando Valley. It was also U.S. restaurant a few days ago to find about 50 of her friends from Sherman Oaks Methodist Church and the Sherman Oaks Women's Club Women’s clubs first arose in the United States during the post-civil war period. As a result of increased leisure time due to modern household advances, middle class women had more time to engage in intellectual pursuits. waiting to sing ``Happy Birthday to You.'' You would think that at 100 there wouldn't be too many firsts left in life, Edith said, but you would be thinking wrong. ``They gave me a standing ovation,'' she said, sounding a little awed awe n. 1. A mixed emotion of reverence, respect, dread, and wonder inspired by authority, genius, great beauty, sublimity, or might: We felt awe when contemplating the works of Bach. and embarrassed that anyone would consider her important enough to stand up and clap for her. ``I've never had a standing ovation before.'' That's Edith, said Ruh Webb, owner of TM Salon in Sherman Oaks, as she watched her friend cuddle the baby of one of the hairstylists. Nothing in life, and she means nothing, Edith tells them, compares with holding a baby in your arms. ``You can see why everyone loves her here,'' Ruh said. ``She's like our mom and grandma rolled into one Adj. 1. rolled into one - made up of several components combined into a single entity combined - made or joined or united into one , and we're her family.'' Edith worked for Technicolor for 17 years, getting to work at 5:30 every morning to make sure the ``dailies'' of the movie her company was printing were ready for the director to see. ``We redid re·did v. Past tense of redo. 'Gone With the Wind' for the wide screen, and a lot of the Barbra Streisand Noun 1. Barbra Streisand - United States singer and actress (born in 1942) Barbra Joan Streisand, Streisand movies back when people were keeping their clothes on,'' Edith laughs. ``Pretty soon, Disney movies became the only ones I could count on to see people dressed in. I finally got tired of having to watch a bunch of naked people run around on screen before I had breakfast every morning - and quit.'' She lives in a nice apartment complex about two blocks from the salon, and ever since she quit driving, at 97, gets a friend to drop her off for her weekly hair appointment. One of the girls from the salon drives her home. Her kids, grandkids and great grandkids were taking her to Barone's Restaurant for a big birthday party Saturday night, and her church is throwing her a big party today. ``The Lord's been good to me,'' Edith said, getting ready Friday morning to have her hair washed. ``I stay active, and have a lot of friends and family who love me. ``What else can a person wish for on their 100th birthday?'' Nothing else, Edith. Absolutely nothing. You've got it all already. Happy 100th, sweetheart. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Edith Hooper, center, keeps her weekly hairdresser appointment Friday at TM Salon in Sherman Oaks, where her many friends helped her prepare to celebrate her 100th birthday. Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News |
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