WASHINGTON — Catherine Gaines is quite spry for a woman her age.
Ms. Catherine, as her great nephew Darren Williams affectionately calls her, will celebrate her birthday 107th birthday on Nov. 9.
"Oh, just another one," she said with a quick laugh.
The native Washingtonian was born in 1916, two days after Woodrow Wilson was elected president.
"We lived at 15th and U, and if you wanted to be seen, you were on U Street," Gaines said.
She went to Sumner — now Sumner Magruder — built, at the time, exclusively for the education of Black children in D.C. and Georgetown. She graduated from D.C.'s Cardozo High School in 1934.
"I'm here somewhere," Gaines said, as she and her great nephew looked at her pictures. "There's me, high school Cardozo and the year, oh wow, quite a while!"
By the time she was 14, the country had experienced the Jazz Age, the heartbreak of Red Summer, and the Tulsa Massacre.
And her U Street neighborhood, nicknamed Black Broadway, was evolving as the center of business, arts and entertainment for African-Americans in a segregated Washington.
"I can easily remember the stores. A lot of people were not able to go into stores or try things on. I'll never forget that. And, as time went on, things changed."
Change, like experiencing the impact of the Great Migration.
"It goes back to the beginning of the war, and many, many people came from everywhere to D.C."
She also showed her patriotism and love of country.
"I went into the service because this is where I live. This is my home, and if I can do something as small as it is to help the cause, that's why I went in," she said.
The soft-spoken centenarian has survived through it all. Nineteen presidents, building booms, gentrification, integration and modern-day inventions she never imagined.
"The communication between people, the cell phone, for example, the changes and advancement. Now, we know our neighbors across the waters.
Her great nephew Darren appreciates the life stories and wisdom his aunt passes down to him.
"When you have someone that's lived as long as she's lived and gone through adversities I would never know about. This is stuff I could read in a book, TV but, I can actually talk with somebody that can tell you things you can't get from a book," he said.
Retirement was not in Gaines' plans. She left her paid job only to spend 40 years as a volunteer at Children's National Medical Center.
When asked if there's anything she'd do differently, she said, "Well, one thing. I regret that I didn't marry a nice guy, and I guess that's about the only thing. They came along a couple of times, and I took a few looks and thought, no, I better not try this one."
As Ms. Catherine prepares to celebrate her momentous birthday milestone, she imparts some sage advice to those who want to know the secret to her longevity.
"Enjoy life, appreciate your life and remember you have one life. I think that I'm grateful. I'm grateful," she said.