Event Honors Area’s Oldest Residents

In 44 more days, 103-year-old Starr Mitchell can boast that she’s been on Earth for three centuries. Born in London in 1897, she was thrilled to turn 100. But she can’t understand all the hoopla surrounding the new millennium.

“I don’t know what all the excitement is about. Every day is a day. Each [person] lives life the way they do,” said Mitchell, who lives alone in a Van Nuys retirement home.

Mitchell was one of two San Fernando Valley women crowned “queen” at a luncheon Tuesday to honor seniors 90 and older held at the Friendship Auditorium near Griffith Park. The annual event was sponsored by the Los Angeles Federation of Senior Citizen Clubs and the city’s Department of Recreation and Parks.

The other Valley senior to be crowned, Marie West, seemed thrilled when Dist. Atty. Gil Garcetti placed a tiara on her head.

“I just keep hanging on,” said the 102-year-old West, an Iowa native who lives on her own in a Chatsworth senior apartment.

Anna Jackson, 102, who lives with her daughter in West Los Angeles, was also crowned by Garcetti, who said, “This is a real kick for me to do this.”

Ben Levinson of West Los Angeles, who still drives at the age of 104, was crowned “king” for the day.

“Oh, to be 100 again!” he said to the crowd. Dressed up and talking energetically with other guests, many said they never thought they’d have such a long life.

“Not in my wildest dreams. It’s just been meant for me to live this long. Why, I don’t know, and no one else does either,” said Mitchell.

Sherman Oaks resident Frances Lepkowsky is looking forward to the new year, especially her 100th birthday in March. Her bedtime is usually 1 a.m., so she’ll have no problem ushering in 2000. A great-grandmother of 24 who immigrated to the United States from Poland, Lepkowsky said, “I’ve lived through plenty.”