Happy 100th Birthday to Olive Mobley of Benton.
This article was written for MySaline by Thelma Poole and photos are by Roger Poole.
My husband and I had the pleasure of visiting with a new acquaintance today. Olive White Mobley is a lady who is celebrating her 100th birthday August 18, 2017. She was born in Missouri, but calls Arkansas home. She and her husband, Walter F. Mobley, met when they were both working at the Marion Hotel in Little Rock. Married 68 years, they lived and worked in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas, Minnesota and California. They only had one daughter, Carol Ilten, who resides in Casa Grande, AZ.
Carol said, “So therefore, I am her favorite!”
Walter and Olive Mobley. Walter passed away January 7, 2008.
They do have family in the Benton area. Most of them live in Haskell, Benton, Bryant, Little Rock, Louisiana and California. They moved back to Arkansas for good in 2000. Olive lost her husband in 2008. He was from Traskwood. His father was a blacksmith and built the family home there. A painted picture of it hangs on Olive’s wall. She recalled how much fun it was to visit that old house with the big front porch and the bay window on the kitchen wall. Her in-laws sounded like a fun bunch.
Mobley home in Traskwood
Her days now are mostly busy with doctor appointments and activities at the senior center where she resides in a garden home. She is still active and while not completely independent, she surprised me when I met her. I was looking for someone much older. She is still sharp. She has a computer, but doesn’t use it as much as I use mine. She wishes she had her IBM Selectric typewriter back. Believe it or not, typewriters were a fond old friend to many.
I asked her what her philosophy in life was. She thought just a moment and came up with what I would call a jewel. “Do your best at whatever you decide to do. Aim higher than you think you can reach.”
Then she went on to tell me that a stagnant life is not at all appealing. She likes to keep active. She walks with a cane at times, but stands tall and straight.
She told me that when she was young, she had gone on a long trip with family in a Model T Roadster. There were maybe a dozen family members on the trip in several cars. She remembered having to pitch tents at night to sleep, since there were not motels at the time. And one night it rained like crazy.
She showed us a couple of old family photos that were from her grandmother. One was a church lunch. I have heard of dinner on the ground, but never attended one. The picture showed tablecloths or sheets spread on the ground with dishes of food on them. There were people circled all around for picture taking before the dinner commenced.
I asked if she had traveled very much. After they retired, her husband was not in very good health and life did not afford them much of an opportunity, but she said they did visit Salt Lake City, Utah and she got to swim in the salty water.
She said she could remember when she started school at the age of five. Her aunt was the teacher in a one-room school house. She could remember the community water dipper and the great big hulking 8th grade boys. School only went to the 8th grade back then.
She recently ran across her first Social Security card. Research tells me that the first cards were handed out by Post Offices Typing Centers across the nation in November 1936 through employers. Olive was already working at this time. I think of most women staying at home and men working at that time. She said her step-dad insisted that she go to Draughon’s Business College. And it was a good thing. Through the years she worked as a bookkeeper, purchasing agent, community relations director, editing newsletters and executive secretary. Her daughter said she excelled at all the positions.
She has also been active in the Southern Baptist churches she has attended teaching Sunday School, leading prayer teams, editing newsletters, serving on stewardship committees and pastor search team.
She also acted in community theater and was active in the Little Rock chapter of the National Secretaries Association. She loved the Benton Literary Guild and was active for several years. When her hearing made it hard for her to keep up with the conversations, she reluctantly left. She said if she couldn’t do well in the discussions she considered herself a hindrance to the others.
I asked what was the most significant happening of her long life. She said there had been so many, but the thing that flashed to mind upon being asked was the moon walk. The three of us talked on and laughed for a most enjoyable hour.
Happy 100th Birthday Olive Mobley!
