In November, Florence Tolland became the newest recipient of a Centenarian Certificate from President Obama honoring her recent 105th birthday.
Jane Teahan, the director of activities, presented the award to Tolland who said she was honored to receive it.
This past August at Presidential Oaks in Concord, where Tolland has lived since 2002, a party was thrown in honor of her birthday. Tolland was born in 1904 and is now one of the growing number of Americans who can claim this milestone award.
The number of centenarians in the United States has tripled since 1995 from 25,000 to 96,000. More recently, in 2005 the number of centenarians was recorded at more than 55,000. Whether the rising number of Americans reaching 100 years of age is based on longevity or perhaps the medical advances of our time, the number seems to have hit a rising trend.
Tolland is still active in pursuing her interests. During National Nursing Home week in 2008, she was crowned Miss Presidential Oaks and has borne the title well.
Allie Ginwala
(Editor's note: This is the first piece written by Ginwala, a senior at Trinity Christian School in Concord who is serving as a newsroom intern this year.)
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