OLD ORCHARD BEACH — Ruth Sullivan was born before the mass production of automobiles. On Sunday, she drove her 1990 Cadillac Sedan de Ville to her 100th birthday party at the Old Orchard Beach Salvation Army.
Sullivan was born on Jan. 25, 1915 in Lowell, Massachusetts. Her father was from New Brunswick and her mother was from Newfoundland. She was heavily involved in the Baptist church there and later joined the Salvation Army because she “wanted to play trombone in the band,” she said.
She worked in the Lowell mills and later at Raytheon in Waltham, where she made .50-caliber bullets for the Navy and Army Air Corps.
Although she spent time in Old Orchard Beach as a child, she didn’t move there permanently until 1952.
One summer in 1927, she recalls aviator Charles Lindbergh landing his plane on the sands of Old Orchard Beach. She was only 12 years old, and although there was a sign that said “Hands Off” and a rope cordoning off Lindbergh’s plane, “The Spirit of St. Louis,” she and her brother ducked under the rope, ignored the sign and touched the famed single-engine monoplane anyway.
On Sunday, more than 100 people gathered to share fond and funny memories of Sullivan as she embarks on the second-century leg of her life’s journey.
“Ruth did a lot of work with our young people,” said Rev. Doc. Hazel Roper, the moderator of the Lowell Baptist Church. “I am one of those young people ”¦ I owe Ruth a debt of gratitude because when I was in junior high school she was our youth leader, and she nurtured our developing faith in so many ways. How do you repay that debt?”
Roper said she’s repaying it through trying to do what Sullivan did for her and other children in Lowell ”“ children of “every color and every experience, from refugee camps and war-torn zones.”
Her longtime friends and church choir partners Janet Paton and Alice Hughes said if they didn’t know her, they would never guess Sullivan is 100 years old.
“She’s a powerhouse,” said Paton.
“She still lives on her own in a tiny cottage. She still sleeps upstairs. She’s unbelievable,” said Hughes.
Sullivan recently renewed her driver’s license and she said it doesn’t need to be renewed again until 2019.
“I’ve been pulled over seven times, but that’s alright,” she said, laughing.
A New England Patriots balloon floated above Sullivan’s pile of presents and birthday cards on Sunday.
“I love the Patriots,” she said, “and the Red Sox ”“ naturally.”
Sullivan added that she was upset to see the Indianapolis Colts “just trying to start something” by alleging that the Patriots illegally deflated balls prior to the AFC Championship game, but she’s excited to watch the Super Bowl this Sunday nonetheless.
— Angelo J. Verzoni is a staff writer at the Journal Tribune. He can be reached at 282-1535, ext. 329 or averzoni@journaltribune.com
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