Rob Ponder of Duluth (Rotary Club of South Gwinnett) has an extra reason to be proud of his grandmother. She was celebrated in the February 22 issue of TIME Magazine! Onie Ponder is 111 1/2 years old. As of Feb. 18,

Mrs. Ponder is the 15th oldest person in the United States and the 34th oldest in the world, according to a certified list of Guinness records. Mrs. Ponder lives in Ocala, Fla. and according to Rob, her favorite place to be taken for dinner is Longhorn Steak House. No dietary restrictions for her!! She consumes red meat, dairy, gluten, peanuts, etc. She even drinks alcohol in moderation.

Her claim for longevity is that, starting at about the age of 58, she walked 1 1/2 miles daily around her neighborhood. She kept up the outside walks until she lost most of her eyesight at the age of 101. She still walks but now it is back and forth in the hallway of her assisted living facility (not a nursing home--just assisted living.) She only takes ONE pill a day. It is a diuretic to keep fluid from building up around the heart. Rob related an incident where his grandmother was hit by a car in a parking lot at the age of 106. She keeps bouncing back though from that and other upsets!

According to Rob, his grandmother "has an amazingly sharp mind. She can recount stories of people talking about the sinking of the Titanic and she can recount things that we talked about last week. "She walks with the aid of a walker and is not in a wheelchair as are many nearing 100." It has been reported incorrectly that Mrs. Ponder was the oldest person to vote in the 2008 Presidential election. "The man who maintains the official 'oldest person' list told me that he knew at least one of the 14 people older than she also voted." Rob reports. She sounds like a wonderful person to know, an inspirational person to be around. We could all benefit from Mrs. Ponder's tenacity and joy of life!!