t a recent
City Council meeting, family, friends and the staff of the Hollis Park
Manor Nursing Home were on hand as the life of 110-year-old Maud Scott was
celebrated with a proclamation.
As
Council Member David Weprin pointed out, they believe that Mrs. Scott is
the oldest resident not only of New York City where she’s lived her whole
life, but in the entire state of New York.
Maud was born January 26, 1894 in the borough of Brooklyn to Mary and
Charles Hicks, two people of African American and Shinnecock Indian
ancestry. It was they who instilled in her a sense of purpose and her
spirited determination to succeed at whatever she does.
Maud married Bernard Scott and together they had three sons: Bernard,
Jr., Stanley and Irving. They, in turn, have blessed her with five
grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
[columns/ad_middle.htm]
Maud
Scott is known for her sharp sense of humor and her intense desire to
explore life. She stopped smoking at the age of 80 because she was
worried about her health. She took up poetry at age 95. She continues to
write verse and recited from memory for the City Council her poem "Artie
Boy." She has served as the oldest participant in the Lift Up the World
Program, a project that seeks to identify and honor people who have
inspired the world.
The council’s proclamation read in part:
"Whereas, in over 100 years of living, Maud Scott has inspired others
with her ebullience, her warmth, her bright spirit and her true zest for
life; she is loved deeply by family and friends and has shown us all
quite beautifully that age is only a state of mind; now, therefore, Be
it known that the Council of the City of New York honors Maud Scott for
her wonderful contributions to our City, and joins with her family and
friends in celebrating her life and enduring legacy."
