Saturday, May 14, 2011

My Hero: Veatrice Henson

I write about you heroes from time to time, people who are heroes to me. Although it was not on my schedule, I chose to write about Veatrice Henson at this time because it was her birthday two weeks ago. She is 100 years old.

Ms. Henson is not my hero just because she lived to be 100, but because of the way she lived her life these last 100 years since her birth April 29, 1911. She plans to continue to live the same way. Her mother, after all, died just shy of 102. I found Beatrice Hansen when a commercial invited the world to wish her Happy Birthday. She took her new-found “fame” in stride, but she still prefers to live quietly.

Faith has always been central in her life as proven when she and her husband Chester, now deceased, joined a small group to found the High Street Baptist Church in Springfield Missouri. She is the only surviving member of that group. She moved to Grain Valley where she lives with her daughter who is 80. She has volunteered for the past 25 years at the Grain Valley Community Services League food pantry, helping people who are hungry.

Time in Grain Valley has been spent teaching Sunday school and adult Bible classes. she donates a handmade quilt auction, and work at the food pantry from 7:30 AM to three o'clock. Her only companions are that she is hard. And she has a screening sore knee.

Here is something I found interesting– she still drives But no longer at night. When her drivers license expires she will decide whether to renew it. she thinks people just know we need this time to quit

Beatrice Hansen, I hope you had a good birthday please continue participating in life and making a difference in your community. Happy stated birthday

nodes and links:
Her Story
Interview
Wish her a belated Happy Birthday
articles about previous heroes. These are my MS heroes so far -
  • Dr. Jean Martin Charcot who first identified and documented MS, as well as Rheumatoid arthritis and ALS
  • Sylvia Lawry who just wanted to help her brother with his MS and started by founding the pre-curser to the National MS Society and more domestic and international help and research organizations
  • Dr. W. Ian McDonald who stream-lined MS diagnosis criteria adding the MRI as a tool