At 107, woman is a ‘Golden Okie’
FROM STAFF REPORTS
On the day Hazel Bason was born in 1911, a meeting was held to discuss whether the Oklahoma State Fair would move to Muskogee, a men’s suit could be bought for less than $10 and a round-trip train ticket to Fort Worth was $8.20.
On Thursday, the 107-year-old Oklahoma City woman was inducted into the Oklahoma Centenarian Club, becoming one of its oldest members.
Until recently, Bason still was mowing her own yard and taking the bus to pay her own bills.
She moved to Grace Living Center Wildewood, 1913 NE 50, about a month ago. Until then, she still had been working in her garden and going to church regularly.
“Miss Bason and I attend the same church,” said Alan Washington, social services director at Grace. “She is almost a founding member. I believe she joined just a year or two after the church was started, and that was about 90 years ago.
“She is still all there, too. I mean, she was mowing her yard at 106, and I don’t even like to mow my yard now. She’s still going strong at 107 years young. I hope to grow up to be like her someday.”
When Washington learned of Bason’s age, he called the Centenarians of Oklahoma. And they quickly arranged a visit to honor her.
When asked the secret to life, Bason said, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” A golden oldie from the Bible from a woman who on Thursday was given a centenarian certificate and a pin declaring her a “Golden Okie.”
Sue Scott, of the Centenarians of Oklahoma, presented her with the certificate and Okie pin, as well as an angel pin. Scott said, “The angel is to watch over you, but I think you’ve had an angel watching over you for a lot of years.”
At Thursday’s party, Bason celebrated the milestone with family, friends and staff at Grace.
Devouring her second slice of cake, Bason declared, “I still have a good appetite.”