My Virtual Reading Room

Happy International Women's Day, if you're celebrating ;)

If not, I thought these were great stories regardless:

"Happy 1st birthday to Delaney and her great great grandmother Rosalee who turned 100. They share the same birthday, 99 years apart." (Source: Reddit)

Dr Leila Denmark

Leila Denmark was the world's oldest doctor when she retired at the age of 103 in 2001 after 73 years as a practicing pediatrician. Born on this day in 1898, Dr. Denmark began treating children in 1928 and was caring for the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of her first patients by the time she retired. Dr. Denmark, however, didn't view these seven decades as work; as she once said, "Doing what you don’t like is work. Doing what you like is play. I have never worked a day in my life.”

Born in Portal, Georgia, Dr. Denmark was the only female graduate in her 1928 class at the Medical College of Georgia and was believed to have been the first female pediatrician in the state. After an epidemic of whooping cough killed many infants in 1932, she also became actively involved in medical research. She worked with researchers at Emory University to develop a successful pertussis vaccine and was awarded the Fisher Prize in 1935 in recognition for her work as a co-developer of the vaccine.

When Dr. Denmark passed away in 2011 at 114 years of age, she was the fifth oldest person in the world. Following her death, the dean of her medical school, Dr. Peter Buckley, honored her for her decades of service, stating: "Leila was the kind of physician we hope all of our graduates become -- a pioneer in their field, a caring and kind caretaker, and a consummate professional. She led by example, counseling us to be better parents, to raise healthier children and to set an example ourselves -- to ‘live right and eat right,' as she would say." In 2006, when asked about her secret for a long life, Dr. Denmark replied, "You keep on doing what you do best as long as you can. I enjoyed every minute of it for more than 70 years. If I could live it over again, I'd do exactly the same thing and marry the same man.”

You can learn more about Dr. Leila Denmark's remarkable life on her website at http://drleiladenmark.com/

Agnes Zhelesnik--the oldest teacher in America

(from Jan. 13)

Happy birthday to Agnes Zhelesnik -- the oldest known working teacher in America -- who turned 102 years old this week! Zhelesnik, known as "Granny" to her students, started teaching at The Sundance School in New Jersey at the age of 81, after decades working as a homemaker and raising her three children. Now, a great-grandmother to four, she works full-time as the school's home economics teacher, teaching children cooking and sewing. The centenarian, who also hand-sews aprons for all of her students, says that the value of teaching practical skills to children is often overlooked in today's technologically intensive education: "This is something that they're going to use for the rest of their lives. They're not going to have it just for today. You'll be surprised how they are going to remember it when they get older."

When asked about the secret to her longevity, Zhelesnik says, "I suppose it's the children. It’s a great life watching children grow up." And, as for why she chose to take a job when most people are already far into retirement, she replies, "I don't know why people don't want to work. I think it's important to get out and do something, and I enjoy cooking with the kids. I am healthy enough and I'm able to do it and I think an able person should do something, and helping kids is what I like to do... What else is there in life? Children make the whole world."

The school's principal W.J. O'Reilly adds that Zhelesnik's presence at the school is a gift for the children: "There are messages in education. When I see her at nearly 102 with 3-year-olds and interacting in this way, I can't even begin to understand the profundity of that kind of interaction... Granny is a beam of light, this gentle strength and warmth that emanates from her at all times. We have this incredible opportunity to be in her presence and to be able to learn from her."

For her part, Zhelesnik, who helps the children in her classroom with the energy of a person decades younger, has no plans to retire. “This is happiness for me,” Granny says. “I don't get tired when I'm happy.”

To watch an interview with Granny on 74Million, visit http://bit.ly/1ZqI3fa

(see links for more info; source: A Mighty Girl FB page)