Senior Beat
by Carol Higgins Taylor
Special to The Weekly
The secret to longevity may be elusive to most of us but not to Marjory Strout Perkins. The 99-
year-old finds joy in just about everything. It’s an attitude that she credits for keeping her alive and surrounded by friends and family, all of whom are younger, Perkins said, as almost every one of her generation has passed on, save for a couple of high school pals and her 89-year-old sister.
“A positive attitude is half the battle,” she said. “If you are not happy, you are missing out on an awful lot of life. A lot of happiness.”
Born and raised in Bangor, Perkins has seen history made in the Queen City over the last 99
years. She graduated from Bangor High in 1933. Times were tough then, as the Great Depression wore on, and it was hard to find work. Perkins was thrilled when she landed a job as a soda clerk at Kresge’s store. She remembers one day in particular. She was at work, but there was much commotion around the corner and she recalls standing on the sidewalk with a throng of other people. What is happening, she wondered.
“The place was loaded with people and cars and ambulances,” said Perkins. “We were all pretty
upset when we found out that gangster Al Brady had been shot. My friend, Angie [Keyser], ran as fast as she could to get to her office to get out of the way.”
She was married twice and is the proud mother of two “beautiful boys.” Working was a way to
help keep food on the table.
But while future employment had no such notoriety as her Kresge days, there were still historical
notes. Perkins was one of the first crossing guards in Bangor. She also worked at Freese’s department store, at a kindergarten, was a hairdresser, and was an operator for an answering service “that answered phones for all the businesses.” In 1953, she was hired by Bangor Hydro, a position from which she eventually retired.
But even in retirement, she kept busy, volunteering at the Greater Bangor Chamber of Commerce and traveling.
“I was a clerk at the desk,” she said. “I got to meet and talk to all the people that came in. All
kinds of people from all over the country. It was exciting.”
Perkins spent a fair amount of time on the road herself. The trips were always to spend time with
family, whom she loves dearly. Her list of destinations is impressive and includes Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Chicago and a special trip to California, which was a hard one.
“Robbie, a Marine, [her youngest son] was going to Vietnam, leaving from California,” she
recalled, the lump in her throat evidence of the flashback of emotion. “I had to see him before he left. He was barely 21. I can’t put the feeling into words.” After a brief pause and heavy sigh, she added, “But he came back, which was a true blessing.” Her oldest son, Stanley, a Marine as well, was no longer in the service at time of the conflict.
Perkins always had a can-do attitude and loved doing “different things.”
“I loved my snowmobile,” she said. “And driving. I drove a car, a big black Hudson, in high
school before the boys my age even owned a car.”
Perkins’ father, Maynard Strout, was a mechanic and built his own wrecker, the first in Bangor,
after seeing one while on a family trip in Connecticut. He got the Hudson for his daughter.
“I taught myself to drive by watching my mother and father do it,” she said. “I still own a car and
keep it up. I just don’t drive it anymore.”
While she doesn’t get out much anymore that hasn’t stopped her from “being in the modern way to a certain extent,” she said. She got herself an iTablet and after a few lessons, Marjory is able to watch the news, get the weather forecast and play solitaire. She hopes to have a few more lessons to take advantage of other features. “I like to look at a lot of things and see what’s going on,” she said.
Though age 99, Perkins says she takes no medication. She loves fruits and vegetables and spent her life being very active. She was a light drinker and non-smoker.
“You have to want to live, really live, not just be alive,” she said. “Be joyful and have a zest for doing things.”
Maybe the secret to longevity isn’t so elusive after all.
Carol Higgins Taylor is an advocate for seniors and owns Bryant Street Public Relations in Bangor. Email her at seniorbeat@gmail.com.