Turning 100 in a pandemic. UK grad gets ‘wave parade,’ mayoral proclamation and more.

On June 11, 1920, Helen Evans was born during the Spanish Flu pandemic. On Thursday, after witnessing women’s suffrage, a world war and 17 presidents, she celebrated her 100th birthday during another pandemic.

“[Turning 100] doesn’t feel a bit different than it did yesterday,” Evans said.

To celebrate her birthday, a wave parade was held in front of Evans’ house, where friends and neighbors drove past in their cars cheering. Evans received a proclamation from Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton, a recorded message from Gov. Andy Beshear and a serenade via Zoom from Everett McCorvey, the director of Opera for the University of Kentucky.

“I thank everyone who helped make all these various activities happen today,” Evans said.

Evans graduated from the University of Kentucky’s College of Home Economics, which is now the School of Environmental Sciences within the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. During college, she served as the president of the Association of Women Students and as president of the Kappa Delta sorority. After college, Evans taught for a year at Versailles High School.

In 1942, Evans’ teaching career was cut short as she volunteered to join the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps during World War II.

“That was a change,” Evans said. “I didn’t know very much about the military.”

Evans joined the WAAC as a second lieutenant, and was assigned to the Office of the Quartermaster General. By the time she left the WAAC when the war ended, she had risen to the rank of captain and had served in the United States as well as in Europe.. Evans said if she had stayed in the Corps for a few more weeks, she would have risen to the rank of Major, but she decided to leave once the war had ended.

“I went in for the duration,” Evans said. “When the war was over I got out. I never really thought about staying in and making it a career. It just never occurred to me.”

After her time in the military, Evans said she worked with the Veterans Association and helped with the GI Bill. After the death of her husband in 1971, Evans joined Kentucky Educational Television, and helped create the Friends of KET organization. According to the KET website, the organization seeks to “stimulate and promote public interest” in KET.

Out of everything, Evans said she cannot choose a “greatest accomplishment” from her life.

“I don’t think I could really single out any one thing,” Evans said. “They’ve all been of interest — not any one of them.”

In Kentucky, Evans said she would like to see more “educaiton for opportunities” and more access to modern technologies, like cell phones and internet service.

“If that’s the thing of the future, then I think all of us ought to strive to help everybody have an equal opportunity,” Evans said.

Additionally, Evans said she is impressed with how the younger generations have moved into the workforce.

“I wish I could be around another 100 years,” Evans said. “I think we’ve got a great group of young people that are now doing things.”