A little birdie told me there was a member of our community who is turning 100 years old on March 3rd. That means she was born on March 3, 1918. Whoa.
Let's take a look at what was happening the week she was born during World War 1:
Mar 2, NY Yankees purchase 1st baseman George Burns from Detroit Tigers & immediately trades him to Philadelphia A's;
Mar 3, Richard Goering's "Seeschlacht" premieres in Berlin;
Mar 3, Facing internal counterrevolutionary pressures and external German offensive, Bolsheviks forced to sign harsh Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany and Austria;
Mar 4, Terek Autonomous Republic established in RSFSR (until 1921);
Mar 4, First recorded case of Spanish flu at Funston Army Camp, Kansas; start of worldwide pandemic killing 50-100 million;
Mar 6, US naval boat "Cyclops" disappears in Bermuda Triangle;
Mar 7, H Carroll & J McCarthy's musical "Oh, Look!" premieres in NYC.
Mrs. Rachael Buff is one of the kindest of sweetest women that I've met in a long while. I called her on Sunday to set up a date to talk with her because, as Mayor, I want to celebrate everyone who makes up our community. I met with her today and she told me that she heads to the Senior Center everyday at 8 AM because it's, "a good place to make new friends."
She still drives a car.
She still volunteers at Lake Area Ministries and the Senior Center.
She is a devoted member of Freshstart Fellowship Church.
But what amazed me was she recalled her experience of making an 8,700 mile motorcycle trip with her husband when she was 74 years old. They traveled to The Wingding in Oklahoma meeting new folks and visiting family along the way.
Her husband was an auto mechanic and owned Buff's Garage. She said they relocated from Walnut Grove, Missouri to Keystone Heights, Florida because she always wanted to live someplace warmer. So on a vacation from Missouri to Daytona Beach, they stopped in Keystone Heights and saw a sign for sale on a house which they toured. They went on to Daytona enjoying their vacation and on their way back, stopped, placed a deposit on the house and moved lock stock and barrel Keystone Heights. They set up shop with Racheal running the business end of the business.
They were avid campers. For 25 years, they traveled with Keystone Kampers to various national parks. She said the prettiest parks are in Kentucky, mostly because she had a sister living there.
Her hobbies are reading, crocheting afghans and traveling.
Please join me in celebrating Miss Rachael with a party on December 2 at the Senior Center at 10 AM. The City of Keystone Heights will recognize her Centenarian birthday at our meeting on Monday, March 5th at 6 PM.
Honored to celebrate our community members.