‘Don’t do anything stupid’: 101-year-old’s secret to a long life

Dr Thelma Spencer of the Brightview Fallsgrove senior living region in Rockville Maryland offers the secret to a long life as she celebrates her st birthday WTOP Jimmy Alexander Dr Thelma Spencer of the Brightview Fallsgrove senior living group in Rockville Maryland offers the secret to a long life as she celebrates her st birthday WTOP Jimmy Alexander While a lot of folks around the country will be celebrating the Fourth of July the residents at the Brightview Fallsgrove senior living society in Rockville Maryland will be hosting a party for a woman s st birthday Dr Thelma Spencer who just two years ago was still driving says while her mind is still sharp her mobility is not what it was when she was only Spencer communicated WTOP that she feels so much more secure now that she lives in the senior living neighborhood and noted the staff have treated her wonderfully During a conversation Spencer spoke of her grandfather who was born on a plantation in North Carolina and fought for his freedom in the Civil War Spencer was the last of her grandfather s grandchildren and was held by him before he died when she was only six months old While Spencer s grandfather might not have imagined at the time that his granddaughter would go on to earn her Ph D in guidance her mother did My mother was determined her children were gonna be the best educated they possibly could be noted Spencer She worked hard every day so I could graduate from Western Reserve University in Cleveland Ohio Spencer would become a proud lifelong member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority writing its definitive review guide After earning her doctorate from the University of Colorado in Boulder Spencer went on to devote her life to improving standardized testing at the Educational Testing Provision in Princeton New Jersey I know I made a difference because I have been the first in several different situations but I also made sure I was not to last Spencer reported It s no surprise Spencer has lived such a long life Her mother lived into her s and her aunt and great-grandmother made it past I come from a family of women that live forever she joked Thanks to the fact that her mother was a professional cook Spencer loves good food crabs and pork chops are favorites She also enjoys scotch Spencer never married or had children which she explained could be a contributing factor to her long life She acknowledged a major love of hers that didn t work out adding that she has no regrets When demanded if there was a secret to a long life Spencer smiled and stated Don t do anything stupid Spencer is disappointed we ve yet to elect a woman to the highest office in the land and explained young women need to stand up and speak out for themselves Don t wait on somebody to come out of the woodwork it has to be you mentioned Spencer Source