SILVERTON - Gladys Walker doesn't know how she got to be 102 years old. But she knows who has the answer.

"You have to see the Lord to find out about that," she says with a smile. "He's the one who's doing it."

You might say Walker, who lives in the Residence at Garden Gate in Silverton, has genetics on her side. Walker has a 100-year-old sister, Kathryn Fox, living in New Jersey, and a second sister, Gwendolyn Keiths, approaching the century mark.

Gwen Keiths, 90, (right) visits her sister Gladys Walker, 102, at the Residence at Garden Gate in Silverton. (Michael E. Keating photo) | ZOOM |

"She's old. I'm only 90. I'm the youngest (of seven), the kid," said Keiths, who also lives in Silverton and visits her sister once a week.

On a recent visit, Walker listens, her hands held prayerfully and her foot tapping in rhythm, as Keiths plays hymns on the piano from memory.

Walker has a quick sense of humor, an easy smile and is a regular at Garden Gate's morning coffee hours.

Family and faith have kept her healthy and strong. She's the mother of six children, three of whom are still living and visit regularly, and a regular churchgoer.

"Am I really that old? Well, the Lord's with me," she said.

Marrow donor drive

Close to 30 people of color were recently registered in the National Marrow Donor Program after a successful drive by the Cincinnati chapters of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc., Epsilon Lambda Sigma, Nu Gamma, Xavier University Colony and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. to find minority donors.

The groups organized the event, held at the African American Cultural and Research Center at UC, because only a very small number of bone marrow donors are minorities.

Four of every 10 African Americans in need of a bone marrow donor will not find a match.

For more information on the National Marrow Donor Program, visit www.marrow.org or call 1 (800) MARROW-2.

ACADEMIC ALL-STARS

Athlete earns honor

Kristen Hillebrand, a senior chemistry major at Wittenberg University, Springfield, Ohio, was selected for membership in Chi Alpha Sigma, a national athletic honor society. She is a member of the women's cross country and softball teams.

The McAuley High School graduate is the daughter of Sharon and William Hillebrand of White Oak.

Writers win bonds

These students, who live or attend school in counties along the Ohio River, were winners in the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission's Creative Writing Contest:

The Grand Prize winner was Nicole Bonomini, a senior at New Richmond High School. She was awarded a $500 U.S. Savings Bond for her short story about a girl who grows up at the river's edge.

Grade level winners received a $50 bond. They were: Hannah Rechel, of St. Bernard School, the fifth-grade winner; and Megan Meyers, of East High School, the 10th-grade winner.

Senior scholar named

Carolyn Traud, was recognized for her exemplary achievement and named Senior Scholar in Environmental Policy at Roanoke College, Salem, Va. She is a graduate of Notre Dame Academy in Covington.

To submit an item, please call 755-4165.

OUR KIDS

Four Greater Cincinnati teenagers are among 47 in the state appointed to the teen advisory panel of the stand.

Michelle Bush and Khoa Nguyen, both of Princeton High School, James Scholtz, of Withrow High School, and Samantha Webb of Mason High School, will each serve on the panel, which advises on Ohio's stand campaign.

The stand is a program of the Ohio Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Foundation, which was created with funds received by the state from the settlement between tobacco companies and 46 states.

"I really believe in the stand's issues," Nguyen said. "Every day, 52 people die from smoking, and that's enough motivation for me. These people are someone's parent or grandparent, and I wanted to do something about it."