EASTHAMPTON — A century ago, women did not have the right to vote, the average price of a car was $400 and a gallon of milk cost 18 cents.
And Easthampton residents Ellie Coggins, 103, Fannie Stoloff, 103, and 100-year-old Beulah Andrews were just starting out in life.
All three were celebrated at the Lathrop retirement community in Easthampton on Tuesday for having reached and surpassed the centennial mark. The trio were formally welcomed into the “century club,” a new honorary group for residents who reach that landmark year.
Mayor Karen Cadieux presented a certificate of recognition to each of the women.
“There’s no way any of you look 100,” Cadieux said to the honorees. “I want to know your secrets.”
Andrews, a mother of two and grandmother of two, said she remembers when the horse and buggy still ruled the roads. Her first job out of high school was at the “five-and-ten-cent store,” she recalled.
Andrews said the difference between life then and now is “unbelievable.”
“Unless they lived through it, they wouldn’t believe it,” Andrews said.
Stoloff grew up in New York state and lived in an apartment in Queens until she was 100, according to her daughter, Karen Specht, 72, of Holyoke.
Stoloff was born at home and underweight. As incubators were not available, Specht said, her mother was wrapped in cotton and placed the bassinet near the coal stove.
Stoloff ended up working for two decades as a computer operator for the state, Specht said.
“It’s amazing to me that all that time has gone by,” Stoloff said.
Coggins likewise has seen the world transform in her lengthy lifetime.
“I’ve seen a lot of changes,” said the mother of two and grandmother of two. “You have to sort of roll with the punches … I’ve been blessed with good health and a wonderful family.”
For those who want to live a long life, “keep your sense of humor,” Coggins said.
Caitlin Ashworth can be reached at cashworth@gazettenet.com.