Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 22, 1990 TAG: 9003232205
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: E-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MARY JO SHANNON SPECIAL TO ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
A story in the March 15 edition of Neighbors said there are only two known surviving members of the 1900 Club - Saunders Guerrant and Lee Hartman. But three more lively 90-year-old members have surfaced to inform the editors that they not only are still alive, but that they also still drive, dance and do church work.
The club, organized in 1939 and disbanded several years ago, was open only by invitation to white males born in the year 1900. Guerrant, the club's last president, said in a 1965 interview that women were not included because "no lady wants to admit she was born in 1900."
He said in an interview for the March 15 story that he couldn't remember any other members, other than Hartman, who was the last treasurer, being alive.
Nelda Stiff, wife of club member Carson Stiff, said she laughed when they read that Guerrant and Hartman were the only two members alive. She said she called Guerrant, and he said he just forgot about them.
Guerrant called the newspaper the day after the story ran and said that people were calling and "giving me hell" for leaving them out of the story. But, he said, he couldn't remember who the callers were.
Guerrant said he did not remember a reporter asking him about other living members.
But then, he added, that at 90, his memory isn't as good as it used be.
Nelda Stiff, who'll be 89 Dec. 10, recalled the fun she had when the wives were entertained at Ladies' Night. She said she and her husband continue to have fun, even without the excuse of a club-sponsored event.
"We go dancing often. Goin' this weekend if I don't break a leg," she said in a recent telephone interview. Carson Stiff, who will be 90 on April 30, and Nelda, a retired seamstress, have celebrated 71 years of married life.
Stiff, who was a mechanic for Norfolk and Western for nearly 50 years and served as president of the NW Credit Union until his retirement, continues to be active at Greene Memorial United Methodist Church, serving as steward and teaching Sunday school.
The Stiffs, who live in Southwest Roanoke County, have a son and daughter, two grandchildren and one great-grandchild, all of whom live in the Roanoke area.
Lois Powell Huddleston thought it was odd her father, Henry Powell, wasn't listed in the story so she called the newspaper.
Her father, Huddleton said, has been a pallbearer at funerals of some members of the 1900 Club.
Powell, who will be 90 years old on Aug. 5, lives in Northwest Roanoke and does his own grocery shopping and banking. He also is active in the Primitive Baptist Church.
Five years ago Powell's family established the Henry J. Powell Loan Fund for students in the paramedic program at the College of Health Sciences, where his granddaughter, Claudia Huddleston, is director of paramedics. Any student in need of funds for books or supplies is eligible to borrow from this fund.
Powell is an honored guest at the school's graduations, and the student who graduates with highest honors receives a plaque from the Henry J. Powell Fund.
Powell's wife, Lutie, died in 1977, just seven months after their 50th wedding anniversary. They had three children. When Powell talks about his seven grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren, it is evident that family life is of prime importance to him.
Powell, who was a mechanic for NW until 1958 when diesel engines made his job obsolete, later found employment at Lee Hartman & Sons, and continued to work until he was 86 years old.
Elizabeth Reid Parker notified the newspaper that her father, Paul Reid, was a charter member of the 1900 Club and still is alive. Before his retirement, Reid, who will celebrate his 90th birthday April 15, was glass manager for Pittsburgh Plate Glass. He and his wife, Louise Morgan Reid, live in South Roanoke.
Reid, who attends Christ Episcopal Church, said he spends his time these days housekeeping. The Reids have four children - three still in the Roanoke area and one in Atlanta - and six grandchildren.
by CNB