PANAMA CITY — A multi-flower pinkish tinted corsage tied with beaded white lace and ribbons against a brown sweater caused her white hair to be the focus of her beauty.
Family and staff at GlenCove nursing home Thursday honored Margaret Jackson on her 100th birthday for weathering time and improving the quality of lives around her.
Jackson is nothing short of a real Southern lady. Her hands stayed humbly folded atop her knee while words of appreciation were spoken for her being a “mother” to her seven siblings and a friend to her nieces and nephews.
At 100 years of age, her words remain delicate and true to the Southern accent she grew up with.
“I don’t have many words to describe the wonderful time I’ve had today,” she said at the birthday party. “It’s the greatest party I’ve ever had and I’m so proud of it.”
The centenarian moved to the area in 1980.
The past century has seen many changes, some great and some small — from the invention of the Q-tip to the addition of Alaska and Hawaii as stars on the national flag.
Jackson, born and raised in Tuskegee, Ala. on a farm, met George Washington Carver, the founder of the Tuskegee Institute and a great 20th century inventor.
And Friday, President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama honored her on her birthday with a signed birthday card of appreciation.
“She’s been a mother and a sister to me,” said Jackson’s sister Dora Carey, 84, noting she’s gotten “a few spankings” from Jackson as well. “It means the world to me” to celebrate her birthday, she said.
“Christian, a best friend and another mother,” Sheila Graham said describing her aunt. Graham, Carey’s daughter, spent every Friday with Jackson while growing up, “eating her cookies.”
“She’s always been a staunch pillar of our family,” Graham said. To celebrate Jackson’s 100th birthday is “a dream come true.”
“It’s a blessing, a really blessing,” she added.
Check back Friday for a photo gallery