Gulf Pine Catholic

4 Gulf Pine Catholic • January 19, 2024 Bay St. Louis woman celebrates 100th birthday with family, friends BY TERRY DICKSON BAY ST. LOUIS – The year was 1923. Gas was 21 cents per gallon. President Warren G. Harding died after only two years in office. Archaeologist Howard Carter discovered the burial tomb containing the sarcophagus of King Tut. Harry Houdini freed himself from a straight jacket while suspended upside down, 40 feet above ground in New York City. The New York Yankees, led by the legendary Babe Ruth, won the franchise’s first of 27 World Series titles. Mexican General Pancho Villa was assassinated. Closer to home, the Society of the Divine Word established St. Augustine Seminary, the first semi- nary to educate African-American men studying for the priesthood. Famous births included actress Jean Stapleton, who played the role of Edith Bunker on All in the Family ; French mime Marcel Marceau ,TV game show host Bob Barker, and ‘Queen of Creole Cuisine’, New Orleans chef and author, Leah Chase, who was born on January 6. Eleven months later, on December 7, another great lady was born in the Crescent City, Verna Margaret McCathen-Preston. Verna, the daughter of Henry McCathen Sr. and Julia Fairconnetue Hall, was raised on St. John Street in Bay St. Louis and was part of a huge family. Verna’s siblings from her father, Henry McCathen Sr. are Henry McCathen Jr (deceased); Hubert McCathen (deceased); Betty McCathen-Ruffin of Evanston, Illinois; Imogene McCathen of Atlanta, Georgia; Chelson McCathen (deceased); Claudette Jones of Pass Christian, Mississippi; Alvin McCathen of Dallas, Texas; and Melvin McCathen, also of Dallas. Her siblings from her mother, Julia Fairconnetue Hall, are Charolotte Wooten-Taitts (deceased), Mary Helen Hall-Lewis (deceased), Albert “Buddy” Hall (deceased) and Penelope Hall-Freeman (deceased). Verna attended St. Rose de Lima Parish and School from Kindergarten through twelvth grade. Verna recent- ly returned to Bay St. Louis from Chicago, where she now lives in an apartment complex owned by the Archdiocese of Chicago to celebrate her 100th birthday with family and friends. A huge celebration was at the St. Rose de Lima Parish Hall on December 9. She was also honored dur- ing Mass at St. Rose on December 10. “It feels wonderful,” said Verna, when asked how it feels to reach the century mark. Verna said her earliest memory of growing up in the Bay centered on Christmas. “Santa Claus would bring us all gifts, whatever we wanted he would give it to us,” she said. Verna said her most enduring memory of attending St. Rose was “when the teacher beat me and put me under the steps.” “I don’t know what I did to deserve that,” she said with a mischievous laugh. One thing she does remember though is how her mother reacted when she learned of Verna’s punish- ment. “I told my mother and my mother went back and confronted the nun,” Verna said matter-of-factly. “My mother never beat me so she wasn’t going to let someone else beat me. She knew I was hyper.” Verna said she’s not hyper anymore. “I’m too old,” she said. Verna has fond memories of going fishing, crabbing and catching shrimp and oysters. “And we went swimming in the gulf,” she said. Verna said there were about 12 people in the 1942 graduating class of St. Rose High School. “One of them went to a convent to become a nun,” said Verna. “Can you imagine that? I went to see her and she told me she was real happy.” Verna said the thought of becoming a nun never crossed her mind. “I liked men too much,” she said. Speaking of men, after graduation. Verna moved to St. Augustine, Florida, where she attended college. It was during this time when she met her husband, Ernest, who was a member of the United States Coast Guard. They married in 1946 at St. Rose de Lima Church and moved to Virginia where they raised their six children: Ernest III, Joseph, Henry, Claudia, John and Ann. “I have too many grandchildren and great-grand- children to remember,” she said, but added that they all refer to her as “Granny.” Ernest Preston, Jr., deceased in 2006. Verna, who now lives in Chicago, comes back to Bay St. Louis. She vividly remembers coming back after Hurricane Katrina decimated the Bay St. Louis/ Waveland area in 2005. Oh, that was terrible. She tore up everything,” said Verna. “But now they’ve rebuilt it. It’s pretty.” Verna enjoys reading. “And, in the summertime, I like to go out on a boat,” she said. She also likes to eat. “I’m just greedy,” she said. “I like to eat every- thing. I’m not a good cook but I’m a good eater. Added Verna, “I also like beautiful music, pretty clothes and handsome men.” Verna said she’s happy in Chicago and enjoys going to the opera and eating at different restaurants. Verna said she gets out of bed at different times during the week. “But, on Saturdays and Sundays, I stay in bed most of the day,” she said, adding that she usually stays up until 10 p.m. “And I eat a big breakfast,” she added. Verna still attends Mass and prays the rosary on a daily basis. “In Lent, I pray the rosary. In ordinary times, I pray the rosary and on special feast days, I pray the rosary,” she said. “I want to go to heaven. I don’t want to go to hell.” Verna doesn’t drink or smoke, which partially explains why she has lived such a long life. “I’m in good health too,” she said, adding that she makes an annual visit to the doctor. However, Verna believes that there is another rea- son why she has lived so long. “Being kind to people and people being kind to me,” she said. Verna’s advice to young people is simple. “Be happy and be nice to people and they’ll be nice to you,” she said. With Verna on the occasion of her 100th birthday are the remaining McCathen siblings, as shown on the picture: (Our) Far-left: Alvin McCathen, brother; left: Claudette McCathen-Jones, sister; center: Betty McCathen-Ruffin, sister; right: Imogene McCathen, sister; and far-right: Melvin McCathen, brother.