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100-year-old veteran honored at Sheffield Senior Center

Times Daily - 3/30/2018

SHEFFIELD - Aside from getting married and raising a family, the main event that has stood out in Joe Ingram's long life is World War II.

When he was 27 years old, Ingram was the oldest member of a B-17 bomber crew with the 8th Air Force, 96th Bomb Group, 337th Squadron.

Ingram turns 100 today, but he celebrated his milestone birthday Thursday at the Sheffield Senior Center.

"I don't feel any different than I did yesterday, or the day before," Ingram said after opening cards and gifts. "I wish it had been a prettier day, though, for these people."

Aside from some hearing and vision loss, Ingram said he's in pretty good shape.

"I've got a lot of little things wrong with me," he said.

He's still able to get around, but Ingram said he decided to stop driving earlier this year, so doesn't get to the center as much as he used to.

While he's experienced many events during his life, Ingram said the war was the biggest.

"World War II disrupted our lives and and was sort of a revelation, too, that the world could be that large," Ingram said. "That was the big thing in my life."

In 2016, Ingram and seven other living World War II veterans from Alabama were named knights in the National Order of the Legion of Honor during a ceremony at Montgomery City Hall.

The Legion of Honor medals were made possible through a decree signed by François Hollande, who was president of the French Republic at the time.

Ingram said he really doesn't know what he did to live as long as he has.

"Good genes, I guess," he said. "My mother lived to be 97 and her brother was 100. I guess I got her genes."

Jeff Thompson, director of the Department of Aging Services for the Northwest Alabama Council of Local Governments, said people are living longer, and more Americans are living to be 100.

"I think nationwide, the centenarian population has grown 50 to 60 percent over the past three decades," Thompson said.

Thompson said according to the 1980 census, there were 32,000 people aged 100 or older. By the 2000 census, he said, there were 53,000 centenarians. He said by 2014 that number had risen to about 72,000.

Improvements in medicine, vaccines and antibiotics are some of the reasons for the increased lifespans.

"Personally, I would think maintaining an active lifestyle later in life contributes to a longer, healthier life," Thompson said.

During Thursday's celebration, Sheffield Mayor Ian Sanford presented Ingram with a certificate from Gov. Kay Ivey recognizing Ingram's 100th birthday. City Councilman Steve Nix gave Ingram a purple Sheffield High School Bulldogs ball cap.

Ingram acknowledged he is a Sheffield Bulldogs supporter.

Center Director Angie Roberts said she emailed Ivey and invited her to attend Ingram's birthday celebration. Ivey was unable to attend, but said she would issue a certificate honoring the milestone birthday. Roberts said the certificate arrived two days later.

Ingram said sometimes it's not that great reaching 100.

"I don't know why someone would want to be 100 years old," he said.

He's sad about outliving family members, friends and fellow World War II veterans.

"I'm up and about," Ingram said. "I still live by myself. People come in to take care of me, but I spend the nights by myself.

Roberts, who has been the center director for the past eight years, said she hasn't had another center member to turn 100. In her 27 years as Florence Senior Center director, she didn't have a member there turn 100, either.