SAN DIEGO — We are told to respect our elders, but we can also learn so much from their wisdom.
In this Zevely Zone, I share a lifetime of memories from the Fourth District Seniors Resource Center.
We asked the San Diego Seniors Community Foundation to gather their oldest friends.
We asked six seniors two questions: What was the biggest change in their lifetime, and what advice would they share with the next generation?
At that point, we sat back and absorbed their knowledge.
"My name is Ardelle Matthews, and I'm 94 years old," said Ardelle. My life was happy. The biggest change in my life was leaving Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on the train and coming to the town where my mother was, a little town called Cotton Plant, Arkansas. We had outhouses in Cotton Plant, and in Philadelphia, we had inside toilets."
As for advice, "They should enjoy living; it is one of the blessings of this world," said Ardelle.
My name is Herbert Argrow, and I'm 88 years old," said Herbert. "I think people's hearts and minds have not changed, but I think that is what we should work on. Never give up. Never stop. It's never too late."
"My name is Jamie Polk, and I'm 88 years old," said Jamie. "Now, the change that I see is not so much because I am black but my age. People are now discriminating against the elderly. I love to serve. I love to help people. The advice that I would give them would be to love one another."
"My name is William Bill Glover, and I'm 89," said Bill. "The biggest change in my lifetime is the change in how people are treated, particularly black people. If I was at the counter and the white person came up and was getting ready to do the register, I had to step back. You could get arrested for looking at a white woman. This new world is part of me. You know, we speak of the changes in technology and things of that nature, that's great, but change in life, change in the ability to live, change in the opportunity to vote, change to be free and be a man."
"My name is Shirley Lewis, and I'm 87 years old," said Shirley. "I grew up in a family of nine children, and the only thing I ever wanted was to be like my mother. My greatest moment came when I could get out in the community and help people with simple things like transportation. I always felt I had a happy life."
"I am Alyce Smith Cooper, and I'm 85 years old," said Alyce. We had more cars, and we didn't have a party line telephone any longer. We had rotary telephones. Then we got television, and we saw life in a different way. Speak your truth as you understand it. If I should accidentally poke you and your skin were broken, you would bleed red. That still works for all of us. Therefore, we are all one family."
The San Diego Seniors Community Foundation is celebrating its fifth annual No Senior Alone for the Holidays campaign. Last year, SDSCF awarded grants to 28 local senior centers, veteran halls, and community spaces to brighten the holidays for socially isolated seniors throughout the region. If you'd like to learn more about the program and upcoming Holiday Gala, click here.