Margaret Pearson is still cruisin’ at 100

The centenarian says, even though she got her driver’s license renewed she doesn’t plan any trips to California

By Barbara Sherman

The Times, Mar 6, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (22 Reader comments)

Barbara Sherman / The Times

STILL DRIVIN’ AFTER ALL THESE YEARS – Margaret Pearson, who turns 100 today, just got her driver’s license renewed so she can drive her 1989 Chevrolet Classic Capri “that looks like a Cadillac” around Summerfield.

TIGARD — Don’t challenge Margaret Pearson to a drag race — she just might beat you.

Pearson turned 100 years old March 6, and when she isn’t on her computer, you might see her driving her gray 1989 Chevrolet Caprice Classic around the area.

“It looks like a Cadillac,” Pearson said. “It has 50,000 miles on it. It’s been to Nebraska a couple of times. It’s a beautiful car. I get a lot of compliments on it. You’ll notice there aren’t any dents in it.”

And by the way, Pearson got her driver’s license renewed on Valentine’s Day for another eight years.

Pearson lives independently, enjoys frequent visits from her daughter and son-in-law Yvonne and George Burgess.

Through her genealogy search, Pearson, who has traced her ancestry back to colonial days in this country and before that to Canada and Europe, learned that longevity runs far back in her family.

“I have relatives who lived to be 96 at the time of the Revolutionary War,” Pearson said.

Pearson was born in Elm Creek, Neb., where her great-grandfather first homesteaded.

She recalled seeing her first automobile when she was 5 years old.

“I heard a great big chug-chug and saw this car with a great big front seat and a box on the back where the driver’s wife and daughter were sitting,” she said. “When he turned the corner, he yelled, ‘Hang on, Ma.’”

In 1917, Pearson’s dad purchased his first automobile, a Chevrolet.

“They called them 90-day cars, because they only lasted that long,” said Pearson.

One day when she was in school, administrators let the students go outside to see the famous aviator Charles Lindberg fly overheard.

1 | 2 Next Page >>

Facebook	Digg	Del.icio.us
Newsvine	Stumbleupon	Reddit