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Click Here 46 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, March 4, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | 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 February 29, 2004 Dollie McKeever gets a hug from Royal Oak activities director Charlene Ormondecq. Because she�s a leap year baby, McKeever really celebrates her 25th birthday today though she was born in 1904. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell ‘Leapers’ celebrate their birthdays She’s 100, no she’s 25 — only a chosen few can do this once every four years on a leap day By BUFFY POLLOCK for the Mail Tribune When the golden years roll around for leap year-day babies, skipping a birthday here and there is not such a bad idea. Medford resident Dollie McKeever, born in 1904, will officially celebrate her 25th birthday today and Dorothy Buck, also of Medford, will finally turn 21. According to the Honor Society of Leap Year Day Babies, people who are considered "leapers" account for less than 1 percent of the world’s population. While McKeever’s caregivers at the Royal Oak retirement center will put the traditional 100 pink flamingoes on the lawn to congratulate their newest centenarian, this Leap Year kid, who said she would "only claim 25," is not one to make a big deal out of something like a birthday. Advertisement "I don’t like anyone to make such a fuss over me," she said adamantly to Royal Oak activity and fitness director Charlene Ormonde on Friday. Growing up, the Cabool, Mo., native said she just celebrated her birthday, most years, on Feb. 28. That would make her a "Februarian" to the Honor Society of Leap Year Day Babies, whose members argue over the proper time to celebrate a leap year birthday. Having had only 25 real birthdays, though, Ormonde said that explains why McKeever seemed closer to being a quarter-century old instead of 10 decades. "Oh, my gosh," said Ormonde. "She’s just a blast. She’s always cruising the halls. She literally never stops. We can’t keep up with her. "She’s pretty agile for 100. She walks all day long (without a walker), she loves candy, plays a mean game of pinochle. It’s like she really has aged less — chronologically, of course." This year, McKeever insisted on a quiet celebration over Sunday dinner with her daughter, three granddaughters and four great grandsons, followed by cake and ice cream. How’s it feel, having been born in the last century, to be turning just 25? "Well, I don’t know — I’m not 25 yet," she said with a smile on Friday. While McKeever was ready to avoid any attention for turning 100, or 25 for that matter, Buck, a Canada native born in 1920, was anything but shy about her fondness for her unusual birthday. "It’s fun. I think I always took advantage of it when I was younger because people felt so sorry for me since I wasn’t going to have a birthday," she said Friday. "’They thought, ‘Poor Dorothy. She doesn’t get a birthday. We better do something special for her.’ "So I celebrated half of February and half of March, as long as it took to get it out of my system" she added with a laugh. This year, Buck will continue her partying tradition with two dozen friends and family members at the Rogue Valley Manor’s Skyline plaza. Though she will finally be old enough in leap years to drink, she will celebrate with non-alcoholic bubbly. "Unfortunately my doctor cut alcohol out of my diet several years ago," she said, "but my grandson said he would be bringing some non-alcoholic champagne so I can celebrate, too." Buck’s only daughter, Sally Blessing of Medford, said her only beef with her mother’s special day, other than her mother being "younger than me," was that specially made Leap Year birthday cards were "tough to find." As to whether she should claim 84 or 21, Blessing said her mom could take either. "She’s creeping up on 84 but she’s still a sharp-looking lady," Blessing said. "She always looks nice and wears pretty jewelry. I hope I look this good when I get to be 84." Buck, in her easygoing nature, was happy just to be planning to celebrate the day with loved ones. "I’m very fortunate to still be around," she said with a laugh. "It takes 84 years just to get a 21st birthday!" Defying the odds According to The Honor Society of Leap Year Day Babies (online at leapzine.com/hrcq), there’s a 1 in 1,461 chance of being born on Feb. 29. The group, an online gathering place for leap year babies, estimates that there are 200,000 people in the United States who were born on Feb. 29, and about 4 million worldwide. Thank Pope Gregory XIII for ‘leap years’ What the heck is a leap year anyway? Why do we have an extra day every four years? Humans have never been able to make a perfect calendar to match the Earth’s seasons as it revolves around the sun (mainly because the Earth takes slightly longer than 365 days to make a full circle around the sun), but we got pretty close with Julius Caesar’s Julian calendar introduced in 46 B.C., according to the U.S. Naval Observatory’s Astronomical Applications Department. But even the Julian calendar year was off a bit — by about 0.0078 days every year. Over time, the relatively small problem began to accumulate noticeably — a little over three-quarters of a day in 100 years. By the time the 16th century rolled around, the beginning of spring had shifted from March 23 to March 11 on the Julian calendar. In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII gave us the Gregorian calendar we have today. Spring was set to commence officially on March 21 and the system of "leap days" was introduced. To make a mathematical allowance to better match the true Earth year over time, there are 97 leap days every 400 years, and every centurial year (1700, 1800, 1900, etc.) that can’t be divided by 400 doesn’t get a leap day. So while 2000 was a leap year, 2100 will not be. Using that system, the Gregorian calendar year averages out to be approximately 365.2425 days, which puts it within a half-minute of the actual Earth year (which is 365.2422 days). That means we won’t have to adjust the calendar to match the seasons — by even one day — until, say, the year 5300. On the Net:http://aa.usno.navy.mil/faq/docs/leap_years.html Buffy Pollock is a free-lance writer living in Medford. E-mail her at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times