The Huffington Center on Aging and all those viewing this piece worldwide on the Internet extend best wishes to Mildred Hampton Moseley for a Happy 100th Birthday as she joins that most elite of clubs, The Centenarians. (N.B. This fine lady just celebrated her 102nd birthday. Way to go Mrs. Moseley!) The 3rd of 9 children of E.M. “Yack” and Bertie Hampton, Mrs. Moseley was born at Coon Palace in Montgomery County, Texas, July 21, 1904. Following the Hampton family’s move to Coryell County in 1906, “Mit” attended school in Pearl, Texas to the 9th grade.

She then she went to Sul Ross State Teachers College in Alpine, Texas, where she earned a teaching certificate. (Some say she may be the oldest living alumnus of Sul Ross.) She taught school for one year at Slater and one year at Peabody.

Wedding picture

Then, at age 20, she met and married Randall Lawton Moseley on October 12, 1924, in Pearl. (Weren’t they a handsome couple?)

The Moseley’s had five children and lived in and around Pearl where they farmed and ranched and worked at other jobs until 1954 when they bought a laundry business in Stephenville, retiring in 1974. The children in birth order were Yack Clayton, Jeff Rayburn (in front died in 1943), Deletta Norene, Linda Kay, and Kendall Van.

Family picture about fall of 1942 - taken at the Eli Jefferson Moseley home in Lampases.

The Moseley’s were active members of the Church of the Nazarene, which Mildred had joined as a 16-year old teenager. She taught Sunday School classes, sang in the choir, and helped in any way she could. Today, after more than a lifetime for most people, with health and weather permitting, “Mit” still goes to church every time the doors open, a practice taught her by her mother and one she taught her own family. Still singing those hymns of promise in her youth and which bring solace to her now, her faith in God and her prayer life have been assets for her and many others.

Following the death of her husband, Randall, in 1991, Mildred sold her home in Stephenville and moved to Huntsville to be near her son, Yack, then a professor at Sam Houston State University.

Even though she has macular degeneration, she has been able to take care of herself, sew lap covers, or baby pallets, cook for herself and others who visit her. She has recovered from broken bones and colon cancer. Nothing so far, has kept her down or made her give up. She enjoys reading her Bible, Sunday School lesson, and many devotional books on her reading machine and listening to tapes. She has continuously subscribed to the Gatesville Messenger, Gatesville, TX for 80 years and was featured in their newspaper July 13, 2001. She has a little garden and is always delighted when she can harvest some fresh vegetables from it.

To give readers a sense of history that Mit has lived, this writer obtained some background on Pearl, Texas. It was formed in 1890, and about the time that Mildred Hampton moved there at age two, the town’s three doctors, Dr. H. Davenport, Dr. Taylor, and Dr. Ralph Bailey, waged a "price war" for services. As a result, a baby could be delivered at that time for a mere $2.50. The last country doctor was Dr. B. F. King, who moved to town in 1920 and died in 1947. As the old saying goes: “My how things have changed.” Mit has, too.

So what does this former teacher, now a centenarian, teach us today? First, she was fortunate to inherit a longevity gene from an ancestor: Her sister, Cleo, lived to be 103. Second, she has remained engaged in life, still doing those things that were meaningful to her in her youth. And she exhibits some of the characteristics of other centenarians: a sense of optimism and peace within themselves, a strong network of friends and family members, a belief that their faith helps them and others, and finally, like her counterparts, she just doesn’t give in, give up or say she’s no longer interested in the world.

Will Mildred, live as long as her sister did? Only time will tell. We hope so, as we learn from these “professors of life” who’ve been down the road ahead of us. The other big question is will you live as long as Mit? At about the time Mit was born, Teddy Roosevelt was prescient in this statement about aging: “like everything else, to be successful at it, you must start young.” Mit must have done that. If you wish to join that elite club that Mit has joined, you better start applying now!

Mildred's siblings:

Cleo Coston (1900 - 2003), Earl Hampton 1902 - 1971), Raby Hampton (1907 - 1997), Pauline (1910 -1910), Mabern "Short Hampton ( 1911 - 1995), Norene Reaves (1914 - lives in Conroe, TX), Ann Carter (1918 - lives in Houston, TX),
and Steve Hampton (1925 - lives in Fabens, TX)

Mildred's descendents:

Dr. Yack C. and Genevela Moseley (Huntsville, TX)
Jeff, Jackie, Joi, and Jenni Moseley (Austin, TX)
John, Ariel, Henry, and Evelyn Moseley (El Granada, CA)
Brenda and Justin Christopher (Austin, TX)
Scott, Amie, Ryannah, and Hampton Moseley(Richardson, TX)

Deletta and Dr. Phillip Washburn (Talihina, Ok)
Gregory Earl Washburn (Amsterdam)
Timothy, Mary, Tiffany, Malorie, Kathryn, Erica, and Jackson (Talihina, Ok)
Teresa, Lance, Madeline, and Elijah Witt (Sugarland, TX)

Linda and Rudy Gutierrez (Snyder,TX)
Kevin, Amy, Chelsea, Brekan, and Katlynn Gutierrez (Lovington, NM)

Kendall and Waynetta Moseley (Glenpool, OK)
Micah, Kim, Conner, and Brinkley Moseley (Tulsa, OK)

P.S. As noted above, we're pleased to report that Mrs. Moseley celebrated her 102nd birthday on July 21, 2006. She is now living with her son in Oklahoma, still uses her reading machine, and still brings joy to her family and friends. For those who wish to write to Mrs. Moseley, her address is 1101 E. 146th St.,  Glenpool, OK 74033.

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