Centenarian Profile
Mary Middlebrooks
Age: 103
Born: November 12, 1908
From: Abbottsford, GA
United States
United States
In the last 100 years, what invention had the most impact on your life? Why?
The automatic washing machine…I grew up on a farm, and I remember the drudgery of boiling clothes in a cast-iron wash pot outside, no matter what the weather. Using a washboard and lye soap was back-breaking work that also ruined your hands.
What was your favorite decade? Why?
The 1970s…I met and married my second husband who was able to provide me with the most stable and prosperous life I had ever known.
What advice would you give to a high school graduate today?
Get more education, and never stop learning.
What is the most important lesson you learned in your life?
Skepticism…I’m a “show me” girl.
What leader in the past century impressed you the most? Why?
Franklin D. Roosevelt… he raised this country out of the Great Depression. With his work programs he gave working men and women dignity through hard work, and with the creation of Social Security gave them hope and a safety net for hard times and old age.
