THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, November 4, 1996 TAG: 9611040041
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ANGELITA PLEMMER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: 68 lines
If you ask Jack H. Bennett the secret to a long life, he eagerly responds: ``I don't drink and I don't smoke and I get to bed pretty early at nighttime.''
If you ask what advice he gives to his five grandchildren and his eight great-grandchildren, he chuckles: ``Just follow like I just said. I don't drink. I don't smoke and I go to bed pretty early.''
Bennett, a retired steamship agent, isn't much for chatter. He lets a century of living speak for itself.
On Oct. 28, Bennett turned 100. On Sunday, more than 75 of his relatives and friends gathered at the Churchland House Retirement Home to celebrate the milestone.
His friends gathered around a pictorial essay on his life. And a two-tiered cake boasting the number 100 in red was centered on a table littered with snacks, balloons and party favors.
``I've got some good friends,'' said Bennett, greeting a barrage of guests. He wore a crisp white shirt, a blue striped tie, gray slacks and a navy coat with a white corsage pinned to the lapel. ``It's mighty nice to have such a crowd.''
Bennett, a native of Newport News, lived in Norfolk for more than 40 years. A former Navy yeoman, he retired at the age of 83 from his job at Hasler & Co. in downtown Norfolk. He fathered a son and a daughter and was married for 61 years until his wife, Jean, passed away.
Over a century and a lifetime, the world can really change, but Bennett has remained a stubborn optimist. He has watched the evolution of transportation from streetcars to V-8 engines to Saturn V rockets that put men on the moon. He got his driver's license when he was 52, and he didn't stop driving until he was 92.
He has voted in every election since Warren G. Harding took office. He's lived through World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the gulf war and the end of the Cold War. The Berlin Wall went up and was torn down. Russia became the Soviet Union and then Russia again.
And throughout this era of change, Bennett has changed, too. The small, frail man gets around in a wheelchair. His gray hair is thinning and his memory, eyesight and hearing are fading.
But he still wears a shirt, tie and coat every day. Skimming the newspaper headlines every morning is a must. And he can still appreciate a good piece of chocolate cake topped with vanilla ice cream.
``He eats anything he wants,'' said Jerry Sharf of Virginia Beach, Bennett's oldest nephew. ``Uncle Jack never let anything bother him.''
``It's such a special occasion,'' said his 66-year-old daughter, Elaine B. Brown of Portsmouth. ``We feel blessed. He's a role model for our whole family.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]
TAMARA VONINSKI photos
The Virginian-Pilot
Neil Bennett cuts the cake for his grandfather, Jack Bennett, who
turned 100 last week and celebrated Sunday. Four great-grandsons
waited for a piece: from left, Jonathan Bennett and Gregory Brown;
in front, David Torres; and at right, Jeffery Brown.
Since this photo taken in World War I, Jack Bennett has seen World
War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the gulf war and the end of
the Cold War.
TAMARA VONINSKI
The Virginian-Pilot
Jack Bennett spent Sunday surrounded by family and friends. ``It's
mighty nice to have such a crowd,'' he said. by CNB