Posted by DEAN SKIP RUTHERFORD – Ruth Lincoln was one of the most remarkable women in Arkansas’s history. I’m not sure “remarkable” is adequate or strong enough to describe her.
When she died September 17, there were 71 living supercentarians (those age 110 and over). Mrs. Lincoln was the oldest Arkansan; the 14th oldest American; and the 30th oldest person in the world out of approximately 6.7 billion people.
On December 7, 2006, when she was 109 years old, Mrs. Lincoln spoke as part of our distinguished lecture series at the Clinton School. During her presentation, which can be accessed at www.clintonschoolspeakers.com, she offered pearls of wisdom. One of my favorites is one that was quoted in an Associated Press article after she died.
“So many wonderful things have happened in my life. In fact, most everything has happened in my life.”
There’s a great deal of truth to both: many wonderful and most everything.
During Mrs. Lincoln’s three century life, one that included Presidents McKinley, Roosevelt, Taft, Wilson, Harding, Coolidge, Hoover, Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush and Obama, she certainly lived life to its fullest.
She saw her granddaughter-in-law, Blanche Lincoln, elected to the United States Senate and told me on several occasions, “I’m so proud of her.”
Born well before women received the right to vote, imagine just how proud she must have been every time she heard the words “Senator Lincoln.” Imagine how she felt as a 1919 home economics college graduate, knowing her granddaughter-in-law was now the chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee.
Born in an Oklahoma log cabin, she developed a love for learning and reading–a lifetime commitment that included leading the charge in Van Buren, Arkansas, for the county’s first library.
Throughout her life, she loved her family; she loved her church; she loved to travel; she loved her friends; she loved all the places she lived. And she loved to play bridge and tell jokes. She always thought more about others than she did herself.
In 1961, Arkansas honored her with a title that her family already knew: Mother of the Year. And for 111 years–almost 112–she honored others with the positive example she set, the life she led and the kindness she shared.
Her recent birthdays weren’t just family gatherings–Arkansans joined in. We read about them in the newspaper and watched them on television. We saw her on a helicopter ride, on the Big Dam and Junction Bridges, riding in a buggy, cruising on the Arkansas River and wearing a hard hat for a Clinton Library tour when the building was still under construction.
She had an unforgettable smile and a twinkle in her eyes–both of which would capture your attention and steal your heart.
And on that occasion when she spoke at the Clinton School, she said,”I had a lot of fun growing old.”
With the love, help and support of family, friends and caregivers, Caroline Ruth Myers Lincoln grew old with grace and dignity
Throughout her absolutely remarkable journey, she taught us all how to grow old too.
We were honored to have her at the Clinton School.
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