Murillian “Mimi” Allen was 6 years old on Aug. 18, 1920, when the United States ratified the 19th Amendment, granting women the right to vote.
But she doesn’t quite recall that historical moment.
“I was too young. My mother could go out and vote,” she said. She believes her first election was for Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who held office from 1933 to 1945.
Those were just a few tidbits that Allen discussed about her life at her 105th birthday celebration on Monday, held at Brookdale Vancouver Stonebridge, a facility that specializes in care for seniors experiencing symptoms of Alzheimer’s and dementia. She has lived there for about six months, according to her family.
At 27 years past the average life expectancy in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Allen was all smiles as her facility friends enjoyed cake and ice cream in her honor. She was showered with hand-drawn cards from residents of other Brookdale facilities across the U.S., as well as from children in the Vancouver community.