Edna was the daughter of Henry and Mary Alice (Crook) Sandlin.
Published: October 22, 2008 12:25 am
Edna (Sandlin) White
Commercial-News
CATLIN - Edna (Sandlin) White, 107, well known Catlin educator, passed away Monday, Oct. 20, 2008. She spent the last six years of her life with family in Jacksonville, N.C., but always considered Catlin her home.
She is survived by her daughters and their husbands, Helen (James) Montague of Jacksonville, N.C., and Margery (Max) Enos of Bayton Beach, Fla. Other survivors include eight grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren, three great-great-grandchildren along with numerous nieces and nephews. Edna was preceded in death by her husband, Clinton White, two children, Charles White and Peggy Finley, along with a beloved son-in-law, Robert "Bob" Finley Sr., and grandson, Mark Enos.
Edna was a retired teacher having taught in the one-room schools of Rouse and Center Point. She also taught at Catlin Grade School from 1934 through 1967. Her teaching career spanned 37 years and included teaching her four children and one grandchild in the fifth grade.
Her family and former students were her pride and joy. Those that knew her revered her as an adventurous pillar of strength, a role model and faithful servant to the Lord and community.
Visitation will be from 6-8 p.m. Friday at Robison Chapel in Catlin. Funeral services will be 11 a.m. Saturday at the Catlin Church of Christ with Dave Burger and Ed Ross officiating. Burial will follow at the Oakridge Cemetery in Catlin.
In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to the Catlin Church of Christ, Catlin Library, or the Catlin Heritage Museum.
********************************
Happy to be alive
August 10,2003
SUZANNE GROVER
DAILY NEWS STAFF
At age 102, Edna White has seen and done a lot in her century of life
What do the Wright brothers' first flight, the Great Depression, the 1969 moon landing, JFK's assassination, 9-11 and the Marines returning from Iraq have in common? Edna White was around when they happened.
The cheerful Onslow County resident, who was born in 1901 and lived through 19 presidents, celebrated her 102 birthday last week alive and well. And the credit for her longevity goes to? "The grace of God, and good luck, I guess," she said.
Edna lives with her daughter, Helen Montague, and son-in-law, Jim, but was on her own in Illinois until last year after she had a stroke and her other daughter passed away. Edna spends most of her time reading, trying to understand the baseball games Jim watches, playing Scrabble, sewing and helping out around the house - her forte is folding laundry. Jim said she's also a card shark, and never misses the nightly game. "She doesn't like to lose, and she don't take no prisoners," he said.
The woman, who doesn't look a day over 90, seems happy to be alive, and doesn't plan on quitting any time soon. The former schoolteacher who "hated history" is now a walking history book herself. She looked back on a century of memories that spanned from what may have seemed like a transition from "Little House on the Prairie" to a little house in Jacksonville suburbs.
They had no phones, no lights, no automobiles during her childhood in the small community of Catlin, Ill. About the only thing they did have, other than their farm, was family. And Edna, a middle-child of seven siblings, learned to appreciate it.
Edna helped her folks work the farm, played with her siblings, rode horses, and walked to a one room schoolhouse each day. After high school, she returned to that same classroom as a teacher, and launched a 36-year career.
She didn't plan on going back to teaching after she fell in love and married Clint White when she was 22, but tragedy robbed the couple of living happily ever after. Clint was crushed by a tractor that went out of control. After the accident, Edna was emotionally crushed, and so was her father, who was driving the tractor. The trauma was almost unbearable for the whole family, and Edna was two months pregnant with her fourth child.
Although she and her children lived separately from her parents, Edna drew strength and support, not to mention food, from them. The Depression had fallen upon the country by that time, and work was scarce, especially for a married woman. Even though her husband was dead, Edna wasn't technically considered a primary bread winner. "Those were the years where there weren't any 'favorite times,' " Edna recalled. She eventually found work, and brought home $65 a month for her family of four - her office was a one-room schoolhouse.
Edna would arrive via horse and buggy around 8 a.m. and prepare a fire in the pot-bellied stove using corn cobs and coal. She'd then sweep the chalk-dusted wooden floors and pews in the creaky wooden structure. She had taught arithmetic and reading to each grade, and then combined lessons for all eight grades.
"School would begin around 9 a.m. and end at 4 p.m., with an hour off for lunch," Edna said. During lunchtime, students would find shady spots and eat the food their moms prepared.
"I'm sure mothers would have been surprised at the trading that went on," Edna said. "In a short time, the pupils seemed to have found out which mother made the best pies, cakes and other goodies."
Since there were no gyms, the students played outside during their two recesses and created games out of whatever they had or could find. "Girls liked to jump the rope and the boys liked to play marbles," Edna said, adding that baseball was also a favorite.
"Very few of the boys or girls had a bat or ball," she said. "A glove was a luxury and almost unheard of. They made their own bases, and sometimes even a crude bat. If someone had a ball, they were very lucky. Sometimes the girls would bring their favorite doll. And if you were lucky enough to have a pretty doll, you were very popular."
Edna loved her job and said she still remembers each and every student. She still has the hand bell with which she summoned them back to class. "It was very different then," Edna said, hinting that she has a bone to pick with how schools are run today. Jim said with a laugh as the subject was broached, "Watch your words mother."
"The students have no regard for the teachers or their parents," said Edna. "You can't punish children, and you can't correct them."
Edna remembers spanking a few unruly students, but she also remembers that they weren't that way for long.
Things have changed, and even though Edna doesn't like a lot of it, she lives life on life's terms and strictly by the book - the Bible, that is. Her advice to all for the woes of the world is simple: "love thy neighbor." She's outlived her entire immediate family, including two of her four children, and attests her longevity to a clean lifestyle. "They don't come any cleaner than she is," Jim remarked.
She doesn't drink, and doesn't smoke, and said, "I've never even tested it." She leaned over as if to divulge a secret and said with a smile, "I didn't take snuff either. I am a heavy drinker though - I like tea." Jim said she never misses a meal, and added with an eyebrow raised, "Even when we're on the road." Edna said with chagrin: "Yes, I do make them stop for every meal."
She eats raw onions everyday, and the only thing she won't eat is fish. Her mother used to warn her about getting bones stuck in her throat and that warning made a lasting impression. "Some days I feel quite young, like I could dance a jig," Edna said. Other days aren't quite as good, but Helen said, "The other day after a routine visit, her doctor said, "I believe they made a mistake on your mother's birth certificate. Everything is great!"
On Edna's 100th birthday, a radio station offered to help her do something she's never done before. After some pontification, she said, "Well, I've never been in a hot air balloon or a limousine." The radio folks arranged a limo to take her to her tethered flight. Edna appreciated the celebration and remembers the day well - although the balloon ride wasn't the reason. The flight took place on a beautiful, crisp fall day and Edna was 300 feet in the air at precisely 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2001 - the very hour that terrorists attacked New York and Washington, D.C.
This year, Edna celebrated with another novel activity - dinner at Hooters. It was Helen's idea. She thought her conservative, yet good-humored mother would get a kick out of it. "Well, she can't see anyway, and she fits in anywhere," Helen said.
Edna's seen almost every state in the union and a century and then some of American history. The most exciting thing she remembers is Apollo 11 landing on the Moon July 20, 1969. "Although, I didn't agree that they should be going up there," she said. "We had plenty to do down here."
One of the most heartbreaking things she remembers were all of the troops heading off to war. And she's seen plenty of war - World War I and II, Korea, Vietnam and the two wars with Iraq. Her best times, she said, have been and still are with her family, which now includes nine grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren. Edna loved Franklin D. Roosevelt and admired Gregory Peck and Debbie Reynolds. She "didn't care for" the Beatles and had "no comment" on Bobby Kennedy.
And who does Edna, the only one alive from her high school's graduating class of 1920, miss most?
Her husband, she said. Edna never remarried.
Contact Suzanne Grover at [email protected] or 353-1171, Ext. 220.
********************************
Mrs. Edna White, a retired teacher, was an honored visitor at the 2003 Catlin Historical Society Ham and Bean Dinner. Mrs. White is 102 years young, a life member of the society,
Among the good friends visiting on the grounds of the Catlin Heritage Museum was Mrs. Edna White, a retired teacher who taught both in area country schools and at Catlin Grade School.
October 12, 2003
Notes for Edna Sandlin:
Page 102, "The Sandlin Family" by Robert Glen "Bob" Hughes.
********************************
Honors
October 31,2004
Centenarian honored
A 103-year-old Jacksonville woman has become the nation's first inductee into a new pro-gram honoring centenarians who use talking books.
Edna White was honored Wednesday by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress. She was named the first member of the 102 Talking Book Club during the program''s national kickoff in Raleigh.
White is a patron of the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (LBPH), a service of the State Library of North Carolina. She is one of 1,600 users of talking books in America who are 100 or older, and one of 20 in North Caro-lina.
Edna White of Jacksonville, North Carolina Inducted as First Charter Member of the 102 Talking Book Club.
National kickoff of the 102 Talking Book Club was held Wednesday, October 27, when 103-year-old Edna White of Jacksonville, North Carolina became the nation's first inductee into the102 Talking Book Club.
Edna White is a patron of the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (LBPH), a service of the State Library of North Carolina, and is one of twenty in the state eligible for club membership.
NLS director Frank Kurt Cylke presented Mrs. White a certificate and a letter during ceremonies at the LBPH on Capital Boulevard in Raleigh.
Published: October 22, 2008 12:25 am
Edna (Sandlin) White
Commercial-News
CATLIN - Edna (Sandlin) White, 107, well known Catlin educator, passed away Monday, Oct. 20, 2008. She spent the last six years of her life with family in Jacksonville, N.C., but always considered Catlin her home.
She is survived by her daughters and their husbands, Helen (James) Montague of Jacksonville, N.C., and Margery (Max) Enos of Bayton Beach, Fla. Other survivors include eight grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren, three great-great-grandchildren along with numerous nieces and nephews. Edna was preceded in death by her husband, Clinton White, two children, Charles White and Peggy Finley, along with a beloved son-in-law, Robert "Bob" Finley Sr., and grandson, Mark Enos.
Edna was a retired teacher having taught in the one-room schools of Rouse and Center Point. She also taught at Catlin Grade School from 1934 through 1967. Her teaching career spanned 37 years and included teaching her four children and one grandchild in the fifth grade.
Her family and former students were her pride and joy. Those that knew her revered her as an adventurous pillar of strength, a role model and faithful servant to the Lord and community.
Visitation will be from 6-8 p.m. Friday at Robison Chapel in Catlin. Funeral services will be 11 a.m. Saturday at the Catlin Church of Christ with Dave Burger and Ed Ross officiating. Burial will follow at the Oakridge Cemetery in Catlin.
In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to the Catlin Church of Christ, Catlin Library, or the Catlin Heritage Museum.
********************************
Happy to be alive
August 10,2003
SUZANNE GROVER
DAILY NEWS STAFF
At age 102, Edna White has seen and done a lot in her century of life
What do the Wright brothers' first flight, the Great Depression, the 1969 moon landing, JFK's assassination, 9-11 and the Marines returning from Iraq have in common? Edna White was around when they happened.
The cheerful Onslow County resident, who was born in 1901 and lived through 19 presidents, celebrated her 102 birthday last week alive and well. And the credit for her longevity goes to? "The grace of God, and good luck, I guess," she said.
Edna lives with her daughter, Helen Montague, and son-in-law, Jim, but was on her own in Illinois until last year after she had a stroke and her other daughter passed away. Edna spends most of her time reading, trying to understand the baseball games Jim watches, playing Scrabble, sewing and helping out around the house - her forte is folding laundry. Jim said she's also a card shark, and never misses the nightly game. "She doesn't like to lose, and she don't take no prisoners," he said.
The woman, who doesn't look a day over 90, seems happy to be alive, and doesn't plan on quitting any time soon. The former schoolteacher who "hated history" is now a walking history book herself. She looked back on a century of memories that spanned from what may have seemed like a transition from "Little House on the Prairie" to a little house in Jacksonville suburbs.
They had no phones, no lights, no automobiles during her childhood in the small community of Catlin, Ill. About the only thing they did have, other than their farm, was family. And Edna, a middle-child of seven siblings, learned to appreciate it.
Edna helped her folks work the farm, played with her siblings, rode horses, and walked to a one room schoolhouse each day. After high school, she returned to that same classroom as a teacher, and launched a 36-year career.
She didn't plan on going back to teaching after she fell in love and married Clint White when she was 22, but tragedy robbed the couple of living happily ever after. Clint was crushed by a tractor that went out of control. After the accident, Edna was emotionally crushed, and so was her father, who was driving the tractor. The trauma was almost unbearable for the whole family, and Edna was two months pregnant with her fourth child.
Although she and her children lived separately from her parents, Edna drew strength and support, not to mention food, from them. The Depression had fallen upon the country by that time, and work was scarce, especially for a married woman. Even though her husband was dead, Edna wasn't technically considered a primary bread winner. "Those were the years where there weren't any 'favorite times,' " Edna recalled. She eventually found work, and brought home $65 a month for her family of four - her office was a one-room schoolhouse.
Edna would arrive via horse and buggy around 8 a.m. and prepare a fire in the pot-bellied stove using corn cobs and coal. She'd then sweep the chalk-dusted wooden floors and pews in the creaky wooden structure. She had taught arithmetic and reading to each grade, and then combined lessons for all eight grades.
"School would begin around 9 a.m. and end at 4 p.m., with an hour off for lunch," Edna said. During lunchtime, students would find shady spots and eat the food their moms prepared.
"I'm sure mothers would have been surprised at the trading that went on," Edna said. "In a short time, the pupils seemed to have found out which mother made the best pies, cakes and other goodies."
Since there were no gyms, the students played outside during their two recesses and created games out of whatever they had or could find. "Girls liked to jump the rope and the boys liked to play marbles," Edna said, adding that baseball was also a favorite.
"Very few of the boys or girls had a bat or ball," she said. "A glove was a luxury and almost unheard of. They made their own bases, and sometimes even a crude bat. If someone had a ball, they were very lucky. Sometimes the girls would bring their favorite doll. And if you were lucky enough to have a pretty doll, you were very popular."
Edna loved her job and said she still remembers each and every student. She still has the hand bell with which she summoned them back to class. "It was very different then," Edna said, hinting that she has a bone to pick with how schools are run today. Jim said with a laugh as the subject was broached, "Watch your words mother."
"The students have no regard for the teachers or their parents," said Edna. "You can't punish children, and you can't correct them."
Edna remembers spanking a few unruly students, but she also remembers that they weren't that way for long.
Things have changed, and even though Edna doesn't like a lot of it, she lives life on life's terms and strictly by the book - the Bible, that is. Her advice to all for the woes of the world is simple: "love thy neighbor." She's outlived her entire immediate family, including two of her four children, and attests her longevity to a clean lifestyle. "They don't come any cleaner than she is," Jim remarked.
She doesn't drink, and doesn't smoke, and said, "I've never even tested it." She leaned over as if to divulge a secret and said with a smile, "I didn't take snuff either. I am a heavy drinker though - I like tea." Jim said she never misses a meal, and added with an eyebrow raised, "Even when we're on the road." Edna said with chagrin: "Yes, I do make them stop for every meal."
She eats raw onions everyday, and the only thing she won't eat is fish. Her mother used to warn her about getting bones stuck in her throat and that warning made a lasting impression. "Some days I feel quite young, like I could dance a jig," Edna said. Other days aren't quite as good, but Helen said, "The other day after a routine visit, her doctor said, "I believe they made a mistake on your mother's birth certificate. Everything is great!"
On Edna's 100th birthday, a radio station offered to help her do something she's never done before. After some pontification, she said, "Well, I've never been in a hot air balloon or a limousine." The radio folks arranged a limo to take her to her tethered flight. Edna appreciated the celebration and remembers the day well - although the balloon ride wasn't the reason. The flight took place on a beautiful, crisp fall day and Edna was 300 feet in the air at precisely 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2001 - the very hour that terrorists attacked New York and Washington, D.C.
This year, Edna celebrated with another novel activity - dinner at Hooters. It was Helen's idea. She thought her conservative, yet good-humored mother would get a kick out of it. "Well, she can't see anyway, and she fits in anywhere," Helen said.
Edna's seen almost every state in the union and a century and then some of American history. The most exciting thing she remembers is Apollo 11 landing on the Moon July 20, 1969. "Although, I didn't agree that they should be going up there," she said. "We had plenty to do down here."
One of the most heartbreaking things she remembers were all of the troops heading off to war. And she's seen plenty of war - World War I and II, Korea, Vietnam and the two wars with Iraq. Her best times, she said, have been and still are with her family, which now includes nine grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren. Edna loved Franklin D. Roosevelt and admired Gregory Peck and Debbie Reynolds. She "didn't care for" the Beatles and had "no comment" on Bobby Kennedy.
And who does Edna, the only one alive from her high school's graduating class of 1920, miss most?
Her husband, she said. Edna never remarried.
Contact Suzanne Grover at [email protected] or 353-1171, Ext. 220.
********************************
Mrs. Edna White, a retired teacher, was an honored visitor at the 2003 Catlin Historical Society Ham and Bean Dinner. Mrs. White is 102 years young, a life member of the society,
Among the good friends visiting on the grounds of the Catlin Heritage Museum was Mrs. Edna White, a retired teacher who taught both in area country schools and at Catlin Grade School.
October 12, 2003
Notes for Edna Sandlin:
Page 102, "The Sandlin Family" by Robert Glen "Bob" Hughes.
********************************
Honors
October 31,2004
Centenarian honored
A 103-year-old Jacksonville woman has become the nation's first inductee into a new pro-gram honoring centenarians who use talking books.
Edna White was honored Wednesday by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress. She was named the first member of the 102 Talking Book Club during the program''s national kickoff in Raleigh.
White is a patron of the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (LBPH), a service of the State Library of North Carolina. She is one of 1,600 users of talking books in America who are 100 or older, and one of 20 in North Caro-lina.
Edna White of Jacksonville, North Carolina Inducted as First Charter Member of the 102 Talking Book Club.
National kickoff of the 102 Talking Book Club was held Wednesday, October 27, when 103-year-old Edna White of Jacksonville, North Carolina became the nation's first inductee into the102 Talking Book Club.
Edna White is a patron of the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (LBPH), a service of the State Library of North Carolina, and is one of twenty in the state eligible for club membership.
NLS director Frank Kurt Cylke presented Mrs. White a certificate and a letter during ceremonies at the LBPH on Capital Boulevard in Raleigh.
Edna was the daughter of Henry and Mary Alice (Crook) Sandlin.
Published: October 22, 2008 12:25 am
Edna (Sandlin) White
Commercial-News
CATLIN - Edna (Sandlin) White, 107, well known Catlin educator, passed away Monday, Oct. 20, 2008. She spent the last six years of her life with family in Jacksonville, N.C., but always considered Catlin her home.
She is survived by her daughters and their husbands, Helen (James) Montague of Jacksonville, N.C., and Margery (Max) Enos of Bayton Beach, Fla. Other survivors include eight grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren, three great-great-grandchildren along with numerous nieces and nephews. Edna was preceded in death by her husband, Clinton White, two children, Charles White and Peggy Finley, along with a beloved son-in-law, Robert "Bob" Finley Sr., and grandson, Mark Enos.
Edna was a retired teacher having taught in the one-room schools of Rouse and Center Point. She also taught at Catlin Grade School from 1934 through 1967. Her teaching career spanned 37 years and included teaching her four children and one grandchild in the fifth grade.
Her family and former students were her pride and joy. Those that knew her revered her as an adventurous pillar of strength, a role model and faithful servant to the Lord and community.
Visitation will be from 6-8 p.m. Friday at Robison Chapel in Catlin. Funeral services will be 11 a.m. Saturday at the Catlin Church of Christ with Dave Burger and Ed Ross officiating. Burial will follow at the Oakridge Cemetery in Catlin.
In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to the Catlin Church of Christ, Catlin Library, or the Catlin Heritage Museum.
********************************
Happy to be alive
August 10,2003
SUZANNE GROVER
DAILY NEWS STAFF
At age 102, Edna White has seen and done a lot in her century of life
What do the Wright brothers' first flight, the Great Depression, the 1969 moon landing, JFK's assassination, 9-11 and the Marines returning from Iraq have in common? Edna White was around when they happened.
The cheerful Onslow County resident, who was born in 1901 and lived through 19 presidents, celebrated her 102 birthday last week alive and well. And the credit for her longevity goes to? "The grace of God, and good luck, I guess," she said.
Edna lives with her daughter, Helen Montague, and son-in-law, Jim, but was on her own in Illinois until last year after she had a stroke and her other daughter passed away. Edna spends most of her time reading, trying to understand the baseball games Jim watches, playing Scrabble, sewing and helping out around the house - her forte is folding laundry. Jim said she's also a card shark, and never misses the nightly game. "She doesn't like to lose, and she don't take no prisoners," he said.
The woman, who doesn't look a day over 90, seems happy to be alive, and doesn't plan on quitting any time soon. The former schoolteacher who "hated history" is now a walking history book herself. She looked back on a century of memories that spanned from what may have seemed like a transition from "Little House on the Prairie" to a little house in Jacksonville suburbs.
They had no phones, no lights, no automobiles during her childhood in the small community of Catlin, Ill. About the only thing they did have, other than their farm, was family. And Edna, a middle-child of seven siblings, learned to appreciate it.
Edna helped her folks work the farm, played with her siblings, rode horses, and walked to a one room schoolhouse each day. After high school, she returned to that same classroom as a teacher, and launched a 36-year career.
She didn't plan on going back to teaching after she fell in love and married Clint White when she was 22, but tragedy robbed the couple of living happily ever after. Clint was crushed by a tractor that went out of control. After the accident, Edna was emotionally crushed, and so was her father, who was driving the tractor. The trauma was almost unbearable for the whole family, and Edna was two months pregnant with her fourth child.
Although she and her children lived separately from her parents, Edna drew strength and support, not to mention food, from them. The Depression had fallen upon the country by that time, and work was scarce, especially for a married woman. Even though her husband was dead, Edna wasn't technically considered a primary bread winner. "Those were the years where there weren't any 'favorite times,' " Edna recalled. She eventually found work, and brought home $65 a month for her family of four - her office was a one-room schoolhouse.
Edna would arrive via horse and buggy around 8 a.m. and prepare a fire in the pot-bellied stove using corn cobs and coal. She'd then sweep the chalk-dusted wooden floors and pews in the creaky wooden structure. She had taught arithmetic and reading to each grade, and then combined lessons for all eight grades.
"School would begin around 9 a.m. and end at 4 p.m., with an hour off for lunch," Edna said. During lunchtime, students would find shady spots and eat the food their moms prepared.
"I'm sure mothers would have been surprised at the trading that went on," Edna said. "In a short time, the pupils seemed to have found out which mother made the best pies, cakes and other goodies."
Since there were no gyms, the students played outside during their two recesses and created games out of whatever they had or could find. "Girls liked to jump the rope and the boys liked to play marbles," Edna said, adding that baseball was also a favorite.
"Very few of the boys or girls had a bat or ball," she said. "A glove was a luxury and almost unheard of. They made their own bases, and sometimes even a crude bat. If someone had a ball, they were very lucky. Sometimes the girls would bring their favorite doll. And if you were lucky enough to have a pretty doll, you were very popular."
Edna loved her job and said she still remembers each and every student. She still has the hand bell with which she summoned them back to class. "It was very different then," Edna said, hinting that she has a bone to pick with how schools are run today. Jim said with a laugh as the subject was broached, "Watch your words mother."
"The students have no regard for the teachers or their parents," said Edna. "You can't punish children, and you can't correct them."
Edna remembers spanking a few unruly students, but she also remembers that they weren't that way for long.
Things have changed, and even though Edna doesn't like a lot of it, she lives life on life's terms and strictly by the book - the Bible, that is. Her advice to all for the woes of the world is simple: "love thy neighbor." She's outlived her entire immediate family, including two of her four children, and attests her longevity to a clean lifestyle. "They don't come any cleaner than she is," Jim remarked.
She doesn't drink, and doesn't smoke, and said, "I've never even tested it." She leaned over as if to divulge a secret and said with a smile, "I didn't take snuff either. I am a heavy drinker though - I like tea." Jim said she never misses a meal, and added with an eyebrow raised, "Even when we're on the road." Edna said with chagrin: "Yes, I do make them stop for every meal."
She eats raw onions everyday, and the only thing she won't eat is fish. Her mother used to warn her about getting bones stuck in her throat and that warning made a lasting impression. "Some days I feel quite young, like I could dance a jig," Edna said. Other days aren't quite as good, but Helen said, "The other day after a routine visit, her doctor said, "I believe they made a mistake on your mother's birth certificate. Everything is great!"
On Edna's 100th birthday, a radio station offered to help her do something she's never done before. After some pontification, she said, "Well, I've never been in a hot air balloon or a limousine." The radio folks arranged a limo to take her to her tethered flight. Edna appreciated the celebration and remembers the day well - although the balloon ride wasn't the reason. The flight took place on a beautiful, crisp fall day and Edna was 300 feet in the air at precisely 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2001 - the very hour that terrorists attacked New York and Washington, D.C.
This year, Edna celebrated with another novel activity - dinner at Hooters. It was Helen's idea. She thought her conservative, yet good-humored mother would get a kick out of it. "Well, she can't see anyway, and she fits in anywhere," Helen said.
Edna's seen almost every state in the union and a century and then some of American history. The most exciting thing she remembers is Apollo 11 landing on the Moon July 20, 1969. "Although, I didn't agree that they should be going up there," she said. "We had plenty to do down here."
One of the most heartbreaking things she remembers were all of the troops heading off to war. And she's seen plenty of war - World War I and II, Korea, Vietnam and the two wars with Iraq. Her best times, she said, have been and still are with her family, which now includes nine grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren. Edna loved Franklin D. Roosevelt and admired Gregory Peck and Debbie Reynolds. She "didn't care for" the Beatles and had "no comment" on Bobby Kennedy.
And who does Edna, the only one alive from her high school's graduating class of 1920, miss most?
Her husband, she said. Edna never remarried.
Contact Suzanne Grover at [email protected] or 353-1171, Ext. 220.
********************************
Mrs. Edna White, a retired teacher, was an honored visitor at the 2003 Catlin Historical Society Ham and Bean Dinner. Mrs. White is 102 years young, a life member of the society,
Among the good friends visiting on the grounds of the Catlin Heritage Museum was Mrs. Edna White, a retired teacher who taught both in area country schools and at Catlin Grade School.
October 12, 2003
Notes for Edna Sandlin:
Page 102, "The Sandlin Family" by Robert Glen "Bob" Hughes.
********************************
Honors
October 31,2004
Centenarian honored
A 103-year-old Jacksonville woman has become the nation's first inductee into a new pro-gram honoring centenarians who use talking books.
Edna White was honored Wednesday by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress. She was named the first member of the 102 Talking Book Club during the program''s national kickoff in Raleigh.
White is a patron of the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (LBPH), a service of the State Library of North Carolina. She is one of 1,600 users of talking books in America who are 100 or older, and one of 20 in North Caro-lina.
Edna White of Jacksonville, North Carolina Inducted as First Charter Member of the 102 Talking Book Club.
National kickoff of the 102 Talking Book Club was held Wednesday, October 27, when 103-year-old Edna White of Jacksonville, North Carolina became the nation's first inductee into the102 Talking Book Club.
Edna White is a patron of the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (LBPH), a service of the State Library of North Carolina, and is one of twenty in the state eligible for club membership.
NLS director Frank Kurt Cylke presented Mrs. White a certificate and a letter during ceremonies at the LBPH on Capital Boulevard in Raleigh.
Published: October 22, 2008 12:25 am
Edna (Sandlin) White
Commercial-News
CATLIN - Edna (Sandlin) White, 107, well known Catlin educator, passed away Monday, Oct. 20, 2008. She spent the last six years of her life with family in Jacksonville, N.C., but always considered Catlin her home.
She is survived by her daughters and their husbands, Helen (James) Montague of Jacksonville, N.C., and Margery (Max) Enos of Bayton Beach, Fla. Other survivors include eight grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren, three great-great-grandchildren along with numerous nieces and nephews. Edna was preceded in death by her husband, Clinton White, two children, Charles White and Peggy Finley, along with a beloved son-in-law, Robert "Bob" Finley Sr., and grandson, Mark Enos.
Edna was a retired teacher having taught in the one-room schools of Rouse and Center Point. She also taught at Catlin Grade School from 1934 through 1967. Her teaching career spanned 37 years and included teaching her four children and one grandchild in the fifth grade.
Her family and former students were her pride and joy. Those that knew her revered her as an adventurous pillar of strength, a role model and faithful servant to the Lord and community.
Visitation will be from 6-8 p.m. Friday at Robison Chapel in Catlin. Funeral services will be 11 a.m. Saturday at the Catlin Church of Christ with Dave Burger and Ed Ross officiating. Burial will follow at the Oakridge Cemetery in Catlin.
In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to the Catlin Church of Christ, Catlin Library, or the Catlin Heritage Museum.
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Happy to be alive
August 10,2003
SUZANNE GROVER
DAILY NEWS STAFF
At age 102, Edna White has seen and done a lot in her century of life
What do the Wright brothers' first flight, the Great Depression, the 1969 moon landing, JFK's assassination, 9-11 and the Marines returning from Iraq have in common? Edna White was around when they happened.
The cheerful Onslow County resident, who was born in 1901 and lived through 19 presidents, celebrated her 102 birthday last week alive and well. And the credit for her longevity goes to? "The grace of God, and good luck, I guess," she said.
Edna lives with her daughter, Helen Montague, and son-in-law, Jim, but was on her own in Illinois until last year after she had a stroke and her other daughter passed away. Edna spends most of her time reading, trying to understand the baseball games Jim watches, playing Scrabble, sewing and helping out around the house - her forte is folding laundry. Jim said she's also a card shark, and never misses the nightly game. "She doesn't like to lose, and she don't take no prisoners," he said.
The woman, who doesn't look a day over 90, seems happy to be alive, and doesn't plan on quitting any time soon. The former schoolteacher who "hated history" is now a walking history book herself. She looked back on a century of memories that spanned from what may have seemed like a transition from "Little House on the Prairie" to a little house in Jacksonville suburbs.
They had no phones, no lights, no automobiles during her childhood in the small community of Catlin, Ill. About the only thing they did have, other than their farm, was family. And Edna, a middle-child of seven siblings, learned to appreciate it.
Edna helped her folks work the farm, played with her siblings, rode horses, and walked to a one room schoolhouse each day. After high school, she returned to that same classroom as a teacher, and launched a 36-year career.
She didn't plan on going back to teaching after she fell in love and married Clint White when she was 22, but tragedy robbed the couple of living happily ever after. Clint was crushed by a tractor that went out of control. After the accident, Edna was emotionally crushed, and so was her father, who was driving the tractor. The trauma was almost unbearable for the whole family, and Edna was two months pregnant with her fourth child.
Although she and her children lived separately from her parents, Edna drew strength and support, not to mention food, from them. The Depression had fallen upon the country by that time, and work was scarce, especially for a married woman. Even though her husband was dead, Edna wasn't technically considered a primary bread winner. "Those were the years where there weren't any 'favorite times,' " Edna recalled. She eventually found work, and brought home $65 a month for her family of four - her office was a one-room schoolhouse.
Edna would arrive via horse and buggy around 8 a.m. and prepare a fire in the pot-bellied stove using corn cobs and coal. She'd then sweep the chalk-dusted wooden floors and pews in the creaky wooden structure. She had taught arithmetic and reading to each grade, and then combined lessons for all eight grades.
"School would begin around 9 a.m. and end at 4 p.m., with an hour off for lunch," Edna said. During lunchtime, students would find shady spots and eat the food their moms prepared.
"I'm sure mothers would have been surprised at the trading that went on," Edna said. "In a short time, the pupils seemed to have found out which mother made the best pies, cakes and other goodies."
Since there were no gyms, the students played outside during their two recesses and created games out of whatever they had or could find. "Girls liked to jump the rope and the boys liked to play marbles," Edna said, adding that baseball was also a favorite.
"Very few of the boys or girls had a bat or ball," she said. "A glove was a luxury and almost unheard of. They made their own bases, and sometimes even a crude bat. If someone had a ball, they were very lucky. Sometimes the girls would bring their favorite doll. And if you were lucky enough to have a pretty doll, you were very popular."
Edna loved her job and said she still remembers each and every student. She still has the hand bell with which she summoned them back to class. "It was very different then," Edna said, hinting that she has a bone to pick with how schools are run today. Jim said with a laugh as the subject was broached, "Watch your words mother."
"The students have no regard for the teachers or their parents," said Edna. "You can't punish children, and you can't correct them."
Edna remembers spanking a few unruly students, but she also remembers that they weren't that way for long.
Things have changed, and even though Edna doesn't like a lot of it, she lives life on life's terms and strictly by the book - the Bible, that is. Her advice to all for the woes of the world is simple: "love thy neighbor." She's outlived her entire immediate family, including two of her four children, and attests her longevity to a clean lifestyle. "They don't come any cleaner than she is," Jim remarked.
She doesn't drink, and doesn't smoke, and said, "I've never even tested it." She leaned over as if to divulge a secret and said with a smile, "I didn't take snuff either. I am a heavy drinker though - I like tea." Jim said she never misses a meal, and added with an eyebrow raised, "Even when we're on the road." Edna said with chagrin: "Yes, I do make them stop for every meal."
She eats raw onions everyday, and the only thing she won't eat is fish. Her mother used to warn her about getting bones stuck in her throat and that warning made a lasting impression. "Some days I feel quite young, like I could dance a jig," Edna said. Other days aren't quite as good, but Helen said, "The other day after a routine visit, her doctor said, "I believe they made a mistake on your mother's birth certificate. Everything is great!"
On Edna's 100th birthday, a radio station offered to help her do something she's never done before. After some pontification, she said, "Well, I've never been in a hot air balloon or a limousine." The radio folks arranged a limo to take her to her tethered flight. Edna appreciated the celebration and remembers the day well - although the balloon ride wasn't the reason. The flight took place on a beautiful, crisp fall day and Edna was 300 feet in the air at precisely 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2001 - the very hour that terrorists attacked New York and Washington, D.C.
This year, Edna celebrated with another novel activity - dinner at Hooters. It was Helen's idea. She thought her conservative, yet good-humored mother would get a kick out of it. "Well, she can't see anyway, and she fits in anywhere," Helen said.
Edna's seen almost every state in the union and a century and then some of American history. The most exciting thing she remembers is Apollo 11 landing on the Moon July 20, 1969. "Although, I didn't agree that they should be going up there," she said. "We had plenty to do down here."
One of the most heartbreaking things she remembers were all of the troops heading off to war. And she's seen plenty of war - World War I and II, Korea, Vietnam and the two wars with Iraq. Her best times, she said, have been and still are with her family, which now includes nine grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren. Edna loved Franklin D. Roosevelt and admired Gregory Peck and Debbie Reynolds. She "didn't care for" the Beatles and had "no comment" on Bobby Kennedy.
And who does Edna, the only one alive from her high school's graduating class of 1920, miss most?
Her husband, she said. Edna never remarried.
Contact Suzanne Grover at [email protected] or 353-1171, Ext. 220.
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Mrs. Edna White, a retired teacher, was an honored visitor at the 2003 Catlin Historical Society Ham and Bean Dinner. Mrs. White is 102 years young, a life member of the society,
Among the good friends visiting on the grounds of the Catlin Heritage Museum was Mrs. Edna White, a retired teacher who taught both in area country schools and at Catlin Grade School.
October 12, 2003
Notes for Edna Sandlin:
Page 102, "The Sandlin Family" by Robert Glen "Bob" Hughes.
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Honors
October 31,2004
Centenarian honored
A 103-year-old Jacksonville woman has become the nation's first inductee into a new pro-gram honoring centenarians who use talking books.
Edna White was honored Wednesday by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress. She was named the first member of the 102 Talking Book Club during the program''s national kickoff in Raleigh.
White is a patron of the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (LBPH), a service of the State Library of North Carolina. She is one of 1,600 users of talking books in America who are 100 or older, and one of 20 in North Caro-lina.
Edna White of Jacksonville, North Carolina Inducted as First Charter Member of the 102 Talking Book Club.
National kickoff of the 102 Talking Book Club was held Wednesday, October 27, when 103-year-old Edna White of Jacksonville, North Carolina became the nation's first inductee into the102 Talking Book Club.
Edna White is a patron of the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (LBPH), a service of the State Library of North Carolina, and is one of twenty in the state eligible for club membership.
NLS director Frank Kurt Cylke presented Mrs. White a certificate and a letter during ceremonies at the LBPH on Capital Boulevard in Raleigh.
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