TCNJ

48 The College of New Jersey Magazine TCNJ X10 PHOTO COURTESY OF THE WILLIAMS FAMILY things you need to know about … LIVING A CENTURY In 1921, the year Vera Vaughn Williams '41 was born, Amelia Earhart took her first flying lesson, Adolf Hitler was named leader of the Nazi party, U.S. racial tensions — marked by the Tulsa Race Riots — were high, and the short bob haircut defined women's style. Williams, a former teacher, shares her lessons about travel, empathy, and fashion, and her secrets to longevity. — Kara Pothier "I'm surprised I am still here," says Williams, who turned 100 on February 18. "I didn't expect to live any particular length of time, I just live day to day." She stays healthy by "doing what I am told to do." That is, eating good food and making regular doctor visits. Most recently, it meant getting her COVID-19 vaccination, administered by nursing student Cassidy Weickert '21 at a vaccine clinic in Trenton. Williams, who grew up in West Trenton and walked everywhere, says exercise is key. "We got it without knowing we were getting it," she says. But spoiler alert: She still drives her own car today. Williams was the first in her family to go to college and called the experience "the foundation" for her career in special education. Her advice to students today: "Find what you want to do and stick to it." "Sewing has been my greatest joy," says Williams, who learned in a home economics class at Trenton's Lincoln School. She still makes her own clothes and has sewn everything from aprons to bridesmaid dresses. "And lots and lots of placemats." Her homemade outfits even landed at the famed Latin Casino in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, when she and some friends organized a fashion show there in the early '60s. Nat King Cole was the main act that night. BFFs get real when you're centenarians. Williams met her dear friend Evelyn Hudson Green '41 when she was 12. The pair went to TCNJ, and in November 2019, Williams attended Green's 100th birthday party held in Trenton Hall. Having witnessed World War II, the civil rights movement, and 9/11, she has a simple take on history: "In dealing with people, listen. Put yourself in their shoes before you judge or before you hate." Williams would have liked to travel more. "The world is so big and cultures so varied," she says. "TV opened the world to us, but it is nice to get there and see the places for yourself." Her favorite spot: Venice. Williams has done without computers and cell phones. "That's where I just gave up. I don't want to learn. I'm living happily without them."

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