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46 °F 5 Day Forecast Sunday, November 30, 2003 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | eSouthernOregon | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend November 5, 2003 Edith Irvin, 103, is congratulated by American Legion Auxiliary President Katherine Moore for her 80 years of service. Irvin was honored Tuesday at the Alderwood Assisted Living Facility in Central Point. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Auxiliary marks volunteer’s milestone By BILL KETTLER Mail Tribune Edith Irvin turned down a $120 life membership in the American Legion Auxiliary back in 1972. She was past 70 then, and didn’t expect to live long enough to take advantage of a bargain rate. She could have saved herself quite a few dollars by now. Irvin will turn 103 on Nov. 22, but Tuesday marked a different kind of milestone for the Central Point woman. The national president of the auxiliary came to town to give her a pin marking 80 years of membership in the group that calls itself "the world’s largest women’s patriotic service organization." Advertisement Katherine Morris of Houston stopped in Central Point to visit with Irvin during a tour of American Legion Auxiliary units in Oregon. She also gave Irvin a pin honoring her for 5,000 hours of service with the auxiliary. "I did a little bit," Irvin quipped, surrounded by Legion dignitaries and residents at Alderwood Assisted Living Facility. "You did a lot," Morris said. Morris said Irvin may be the only woman who has been an 80-year member of the auxiliary, which was chartered in 1919. If she’s not alone, she’s a member of a very select club, Morris said. America was full of doughboys just back from World War I when young Irvin joined the auxiliary soon after leaving her native England to take a job in Portland as a nanny. Her grandson, Mel Coffin of Central Point, said Irvin was caught up in the wave of patriotism that swept the nation after the war. "She came to a new country and wanted to support the veterans of World War I," Coffin said. Irvin ran a grocery store for some time and later became a nurse in her 50s. "I retired when I was 65 and got my Social Security," she said. "I played around for a couple of years, and got tired of that and went back to work, and I worked until I was 79 years old." When she was born, automobiles were still a rarity, and human flight was a dream, but life was changing fast. As a girl of 8, she saw a strange-looking object flying over the English countryside. The thing settled down in a nearby field, and a man walked over to ask her where he could get some petrol for his airplane. She later learned she had met one of the Wright brothers during one of their earliest flights in England. Irvin remained active in volunteer work until her 90s, and she attributes her longevity to keeping busy and staying active. "I nursed everybody around the community and the neighborhood," she said. "I never owned a car. I walked miles and miles." Reach reporter Bill Kettler at 776-4492, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times