Culture & Society

Students Use Social Media To Throw Birthday Party For Oldest Living Person

Morano, born Nov. 29, 1899, is the last known person born in the 1800s who is still living today.
By Lesley Henton, Texas A&M Marketing & Communications November 30, 2016

Emma Morano at age 117.
Emma Morano at age 117.

(Courtesy of Emma Morano)

Aggie students threw a birthday party, complete with cake, for the oldest living person on record in the world, Emma Morano, who at the age of 117 lives in Pallanza, Italy. Morano, born Nov. 29, 1899, is the last known person born in the 1800s who is still living today.

Students in Sociology Professor Dudley Poston’s demography class researched the life and times of Morano and organized a birthday celebration that the Morano family was able to experience from College Station to Italy, via Facebook Live. One of Poston’s students, Melina Horstman, a member of the Aggie choral group The Century Singers, joined some of her fellow chorus members to sing “Happy Birthday” to Morano in Italian.

Another of Poston’s students, Ashley Reynolds, interviewed Morano prior to the birthday party via FaceTime. The interview was played back during the birthday celebration. Although hard of hearing, the 117-year-old appeared cheerful, answered questions and even sang a bit.

Morano as an infant.
Morano as an infant.

(Courtesy of Emma Morano)

Coincidentally, Poston was also celebrating his birthday Nov. 29, but he is 41 years behind Morano; he was also serenaded by the Aggie singing group. Poston, a world-renowned demographer, said the Morano project was apt for his class since a major focus of demography is the study of mortality.

“In my demography class, one of the most important topics we discuss is age composition and longevity,” Poston noted. “We learn that women live longer than men, Hispanics live longer than non-Hispanics, and African-Americans live the least number of years of anyone. My students also learn that people in the developed countries (Europe, the U.S. and Canada, Russia, Japan, and Australia) live longer than persons in the developing countries (the rest of the world).”

During the celebration, Poston’s students presented what they learned about Morano, as well as other centenarians around the world. One of his students, Meghan Standefer, reported that the top 10 oldest living people are all female. Out of the top 100 oldest living people, 92 percent are female and 8 percent are male. The oldest male, Yisrael Kristal, is 113 years old and lives in Israel. All but one of the top 100 oldest people live in developed countries. It should be noted that many developing countries may not keep such records, so demographers may only rely on those that do.

Morano as a young woman.
Morano as a young woman.

(Courtesy of Emma Morano)

Students Hannah Berry and Mackenzie Mehlmann showed pictures of Morano as an infant and young woman, explaining she was the oldest of eight children, all of whom have passed on. Student Alyssa Buck reported that Morano was married in 1926, but separated from her husband in 1938, although they remained legally married; he has since passed.

Morano, who is the oldest Italian ever on record, has over the years shared her secrets to long life, according to student Mackenzie Smith, including eating two eggs a day (one raw and one cooked), pasta with minced meat for lunch, and a glass of milk for dinner. She also advocates a glass a day of Grappa, a grape-based Italian brandy, as well as fresh air and the enjoyment of nature.

One of Poston’s students Kelsey Hayes, a sociology major, said she was excited to be part of the birthday celebration. “I enjoyed being able to celebrate someone’s life from across the world,” she noted. “My favorite part of the celebration was hearing her sing. Even at 117, Emma has an incredible spirit and love of life!”

Poston said he tells his students they have a good amount of control over how long they live. “If they graduate from college, they will live on average five years longer than persons who do not go to college. They can add another year or two of life expectancy for a graduate degree. So I tell them to be sure and stay in college and graduate because in doing so they will increase their average years of life.”

The person who has lived the longest of anyone ever, according to Poston, was a French woman named Jeanne Louise Calment who lived to be 122 years and 164 days old. She was born on Feb. 21, 1875 and died on Aug. 4, 1997.

 

Media contact: Lesley Henton, Texas A&M Marketing & Communications.

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