Happy 100th Birthday, Sister Dorothy Evans

Our own Mother Dorothy Evans celebrated her 100th birthday on January 30th, 2006. Third Street Church of God salutes her on reaching this milestone. As you can see from the picture, she is living testimony to the saying, "You're as young as you feel."

Although Mother Evans is young at heart, you can't minimize the magnitude of living a century. To help us realize how long it has been since she was born, here are a few tidbits about life in 1906, when she was born.

This is the United States flag in 1906. Looks strange? There are only 45 stars, representing 45 states. Yet to be admitted to the union were Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Alaska and Hawaii.

Yet another reason for appreciating Mother Evans' long life: Being born in 1906, you couldn't anticipate living very long. In the U.S., life expectancy was 48.9 years. It was only 33.9 years for black females.

The president of the U.S. in 1906 was Theodore Roosevelt. Mr. Roosevelt won the presidency no thanks to women voters. The 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which guaranteed voting rights to women, was not ratified until 1920.

One of President Roosevelt's big projects was building the Panama Canal, but it wasn't to be completed for another eight years.

In 1906, most people got around with horses or carriages, steam trains for long distances, or simply walked. Cars had been invented, but were beyond the means of all but the richest persons. The first affordable car, the Model T, wouldn't be introduced for another two years.

This is an Oldsmobile in 1906. Who is that person in the back seat? It's Mark Twain.

Taking a plane? The Wright brothers did their historic first flight in 1903. In 1906, the U.S. Patent Office granted the Wrights patent No. 821,393, for a flying machine.

What were prices like in 1906? Here are some examples, from the Morris County (NJ) Daily Record newspaper:

Houses for rent
Morristown, Ridgedale Ave., double house, 6 rooms each, 12.00/month

Clothing Boys' shoes, .73-1.50/pair Boys' suit, 1.59/each Cap, .20-.40/each Childrens' boots, .99/pair Childrens' coat, 1.98-8.50/each Corsets, W.B. Nuform, 1.00/each Men's coat, 9.39/each Men's shirt, .29-.69/each Men's socks, black, .25/3 pairs Men's suit, 8.89/each Men's trousers, 1.50-3.00/pair Silk morning veil, 2.65-6.75/each Women's coat, fur-lined, 4.50/each Women's collar, .10-1.25/each Women's dress shoes, 4.25/pair Women's skirt, 4.98/each Recreation & amusements Skates, Peck & Snyder's steel, .60/pair Sleds, .25/each Theatre, Lyceum, "Over Niagara Falls," .35-.75/ticket Household goods Lamp, Angle, 1.80-9.00/each Matches, .04/1000 count box Pillowcases, 42" X 36", .09/each Sheets, 59" X 96", .50/each Soap, scouring, .07/each Towels, cotton damask, .08.each; hemmed, .12	Food & beverages Asparagus, "Defender," .20/"tall" can Bacon, fancy sugar cured, .10/lb Beef, sirloin steak, .25/3 lbs Butter, Fancy Creamery, .24/lb Cheese, cream, .14/lb Chocolate, .30-.60/lb Cookies, Nabisco 5 O'Clock Teas, .09/pkg Eggs, .15-.34/dozen Fish, Best Red Maska Salmon, .12/1 lb Flour, Purina Health, .20/3 lb box Ham, .12/lb Ketchup, .75/bottle Milk, condensed, Borden's Eagle Brand, .12/can Nuts, fancy mixed, .25/2 lbs Peanut butter, .10/2 jars Peas, corn, lima beans, string beans, .25/3 cans Preserves, jam, .09/lb Pies, .10/2 Potatoes, 2.49/sack Salt, .10/8 lbs sack Spaghetti, .07/box Tea, Indian Ceylon, .25-.30/lb Vanilla, .25/4 oz

	This time of the year, talk of sports is dominated by the Super Bowl. Most of us know that there was no Super Bowl in 1906. Professional football did exist, but the National Football league was not formed until 1920, and it was then called the American Professional Football Association. Anyone who followed football was focused on the college game. That year, the national champion was Princeton University, with a 9-0-1 record. An interesting bit of information: the forward pass was legalized in 1906.

But in 1906, America's pastime was major league baseball. That year, the Chicago Cubs had the best record in baseball with 116 wins and 36 losses. But they lost the World Series to their south side rivals, the Chicago White Sox. You couldn't watch the World Series on television; TV hadn't been invented yet. You couldn't even listen to it on radio; the first radio broadcast of a baseball game was in 1921. Who is the baseball player from the most distant past you can think of? Most people would probably say Babe Ruth. Well, in 1906 he was only 11 years old. He wouldn't come onto the major league baseball scene for another eight years.

These are just a few tidbits about life in 1906 in the U.S.

The world has experienced vast changes in 100 years. Mother Evans, you have seen wondrous things. Two world wars, the sinking of the Titanic, people flying around the world, into space, and to the moon, marvelous technological inventions like the television, computer, electronics and the Internet, amazing medical advances, societal upheavals, massive changes in the size and shape of the world, countries being formed, reformed, and disappearing.

Yet we admire your example of holding to God's unchanging hand. Your steadfast faith is like an anchor we would all do well to emulate in these turbulent times. We don't know what the future holds, but we know who holds the future.

Mother Evans, you always tell us how God has blessed you. We wholeheartedly agree, and pray that God continue to richly bless you as you serve as an inspiration to us!