[b](Forwarded by Jeff Rice)
June 28. 2006 6:59AM
Resident reaches century mark
Oldest known former Studebaker worker now a centenarian.
MARGARET FOSMOE
Tribune Staff Writer
SOUTH BEND -- J. Everett "Hank" Henry was born two years after the Studebaker Corp. sold its first gasoline-powered car, and remembers when Charles Lindbergh made his 1927 solo flight across the Atlantic and when man first stepped on the moon in 1969.
He has lived through two world wars, Prohibition, the Depression, the Kennedy assassination, the Cold War, the civil rights movement and Sept. 11.
In retirement, the lifelong St. Joseph County resident keeps busy.
"You wonder when you had the time to work," says Henry, who turns 100 years old today.
Henry worked for the Studebaker Corp. for 47 years, from 1924 to 1971. He's believed to be the oldest living former Studebaker worker.
He still lives on his own, cooks and does most of his own household chores. He drives to the grocery store, although he limits his driving to daytime hours.
"I do all my own laundry and my own sweeping. I'm an independent cuss," Henry says.
He likes to bake. Apple dumplings are his specialty.
The retiree has a sharp mind and a good sense of humor.
Henry jokingly attributes his longevity to four factors: "Clean living, hard work, daily prayer and going easy on the hard work," he says.
He exercises a bit each morning but doesn't follow any special diet.
"I aim to cook a balanced meal," says Henry, describing himself as a meat and potatoes man. "I don't bother much with desserts."
Henry used to smoke a pipe, but he gave that up more than a decade ago. He never smoked cigarettes.
"I never got drunk in my life, although I like a glass of wine now and then," he says.
Today he's going to breakfast with relatives. On Saturday, there will be a celebration for him with 250 guests, including 65 relatives.
Henry has two children, eight grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren and 10 great-great grandchildren.
Later this year, Henry will be going on a cruise in Alaska with his son, George, 75, of North Liberty. Henry has traveled through most of the United States, but this will be his first trip to Alaska.
Henry's daughter, Catherine Box, 77, lives in South Bend.
Henry was born in Walkerton in 1906, toward the end of the horse-and-buggy days. His father was a rural delivery mail carrier, and the family raised cows, hogs and other livestock.
Henry remembers his first automobile ride, in the rumble seat of an open roadster when he was a few years old. He learned to drive at age 12 in his father's Model T Ford.
He recalls as a child riding a steam train from Walkerton to South Bend to shop at Wyman's and other downtown department stores, as well as to watch parades. Later there was a diesel train, nicknamed "The Doodle Bug," that ran between the two communities.
He remembers the armistice at the end of World War I. Walkerton residents shot off guns when they heard the news of peace. "You couldn't step on the streets without stepping on shotgun shells," he recalls.
As a teen, Henry worked before and after school as a delivery boy for a Walkerton grocery store and later a bakery. He attended school in Walkerton, playing on the high school baseball team and graduating in a class of 17 students in 1924.
"A couple of the teachers weren't worth a nickel, but they were much stricter than they are today," he says. Henry recalls that boys were expected to wear a tie, sweater or vest, and jacket to class every day.
He dated one girl all through high school. "I was supposed to marry her, according to the gossip in town," he says.
Later he met his future wife, Irene, on a blind date in South Bend. The two married in 1928.
Henry remembers the day he was hired at Studebaker: Aug. 25, 1924. He started as a crib tender, checking out tools to plant workers. H
June 28. 2006 6:59AM
Resident reaches century mark
Oldest known former Studebaker worker now a centenarian.
MARGARET FOSMOE
Tribune Staff Writer
SOUTH BEND -- J. Everett "Hank" Henry was born two years after the Studebaker Corp. sold its first gasoline-powered car, and remembers when Charles Lindbergh made his 1927 solo flight across the Atlantic and when man first stepped on the moon in 1969.
He has lived through two world wars, Prohibition, the Depression, the Kennedy assassination, the Cold War, the civil rights movement and Sept. 11.
In retirement, the lifelong St. Joseph County resident keeps busy.
"You wonder when you had the time to work," says Henry, who turns 100 years old today.
Henry worked for the Studebaker Corp. for 47 years, from 1924 to 1971. He's believed to be the oldest living former Studebaker worker.
He still lives on his own, cooks and does most of his own household chores. He drives to the grocery store, although he limits his driving to daytime hours.
"I do all my own laundry and my own sweeping. I'm an independent cuss," Henry says.
He likes to bake. Apple dumplings are his specialty.
The retiree has a sharp mind and a good sense of humor.
Henry jokingly attributes his longevity to four factors: "Clean living, hard work, daily prayer and going easy on the hard work," he says.
He exercises a bit each morning but doesn't follow any special diet.
"I aim to cook a balanced meal," says Henry, describing himself as a meat and potatoes man. "I don't bother much with desserts."
Henry used to smoke a pipe, but he gave that up more than a decade ago. He never smoked cigarettes.
"I never got drunk in my life, although I like a glass of wine now and then," he says.
Today he's going to breakfast with relatives. On Saturday, there will be a celebration for him with 250 guests, including 65 relatives.
Henry has two children, eight grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren and 10 great-great grandchildren.
Later this year, Henry will be going on a cruise in Alaska with his son, George, 75, of North Liberty. Henry has traveled through most of the United States, but this will be his first trip to Alaska.
Henry's daughter, Catherine Box, 77, lives in South Bend.
Henry was born in Walkerton in 1906, toward the end of the horse-and-buggy days. His father was a rural delivery mail carrier, and the family raised cows, hogs and other livestock.
Henry remembers his first automobile ride, in the rumble seat of an open roadster when he was a few years old. He learned to drive at age 12 in his father's Model T Ford.
He recalls as a child riding a steam train from Walkerton to South Bend to shop at Wyman's and other downtown department stores, as well as to watch parades. Later there was a diesel train, nicknamed "The Doodle Bug," that ran between the two communities.
He remembers the armistice at the end of World War I. Walkerton residents shot off guns when they heard the news of peace. "You couldn't step on the streets without stepping on shotgun shells," he recalls.
As a teen, Henry worked before and after school as a delivery boy for a Walkerton grocery store and later a bakery. He attended school in Walkerton, playing on the high school baseball team and graduating in a class of 17 students in 1924.
"A couple of the teachers weren't worth a nickel, but they were much stricter than they are today," he says. Henry recalls that boys were expected to wear a tie, sweater or vest, and jacket to class every day.
He dated one girl all through high school. "I was supposed to marry her, according to the gossip in town," he says.
Later he met his future wife, Irene, on a blind date in South Bend. The two married in 1928.
Henry remembers the day he was hired at Studebaker: Aug. 25, 1924. He started as a crib tender, checking out tools to plant workers. H
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