By Daniel L. Bamberg
In 1983, Willard Scott began honoring centenarians (those 100 years and older) for their birthdays on the Today Show. Bibb County resident, Vera Sailors was only 72 years young. After February 26, 2011 Sailors turned 100 years of age and received an autographed letter from Scott, honoring this milestone.
At the age of only 100 Vera is still very active, explains her family. On her birthday friends and family of this honorable Bibb County educator gathered at the Cahaba Shoals Country Club in Centreville to celebrate her life of service, kindness and her spirit. Bibb County Judge of Probate, Jerry Pow proclaimed the day to be “Vera Sailors Day,” in her honor. State Senator, Cam Ward introduced a resolution to the Alabama legislature honoring her, and Governor Robert Bentley sent Vera a letter honoring her century of life.
Sailors, who recently celebrated the 100th day of School with her grandson’s class at Vance Elementary School was the former principal at Six Mile Elementary and former teacher at Eoline Elementary school. Those schools are no longer active, but Vera certainly made her mark in Bibb County’s education system. She was a principal during the historic integration of Alabama public schools
Vera explains that she was not a heavy handed disciplinarian but with a smile explains that in situations where she couldn’t get the truth out of students who were involved in altercations she paddled everyone involved to make sure she got the right one. She says she still runs into some of her students today.
She retired as an educator in 1975 and has been busy being a grandmother, and great grandmother, and as many know the job of mother never stops no matter how old your children are.
She has also been doing a lot of things lately that she never took the time to do before. Only five years ago, Sailors flew for the first time.
“I flew to Texas, that was my first time on a plane. It wasn’t really scary, but I wouldn’t want to do it again,” said Vera.
She also went to her first University of Alabama football game recently, perhaps strange considering she graduated from the school years ago.
The things that Vera has seen and experienced in her lifetime are hard for many to fathom. She has lived through World Wars I and II, the Vietnam War, the Korean War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Cold War, the Gulf War, and the wars in Iraq and in Afghanistan. She has live through the terms of 18 U.S. Presidents – from William Howard Taft to Barack Obama. Vera has experienced the transition of mass entertainment go from stage play to broadcast radio to broadcast television to cable television and saw black and white television turn into color and then high definition. She has experienced rural parts of the south become modernized. Communication has certainly changed as Vera explains she use to be able to talk to her grandchildren more frequently but now not as much as she once did because she doesn’t know or care to learn how to text.
Vera expressed that she doesn’t allow too many of the worldly things to affect her. She believes that war is too much of a constant in society but has never let something that she feels she can do nothing about take up time in her life. She explains that her priorities have always been God, family and church.
“That is the way I was raised. I stay active with my family and my church,” said Vera. “I have never had time where there I didn’t have something to do. Keeping up with those things is rewarding and keeps anyone busy.”
When she was 95 Vera was diagnosed with breast cancer and while at that age some might assume she wouldn’t fight, she did. At 100-she can not only call herself a centenarian, but also a cancer survivor.
Director of Marketing and Community Relations at Samford University, Hollie Huey invited Vera to a SU girl’s basketball game. At halftime the University and their athletic program recognized Vera for her cancer survival.
Vera is still active and healthy, and doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon. She explained that there is only one thing in life remaining that she would like to do before she passes from the world.
“I still haven’t jumped out of a plane with George Bush,” she stated with a genuine laugh. “He hasn’t called me to go with him yet.”
Her children are James T. Sailors, Edwina Greathouse, Ann Kemmer, and J.B. Sailors who is deceased. She has 12 grandchildren, 23 great grandchildren, and 4 great, great grandchildren.
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