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She's Still Swinging At 100

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By GEORGE H. NEWMAN, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 10, 2007

PLANT CITY - If Lucille Crum could give a lesson in longevity it would be to play lots of golf, never smoke or drink, live a good clean life and avoid extremely cold weather.

The spry and lively woman turned 100 on Oct. 31 and spent most of the week entertaining family, posing for the camera, swinging a golf club and eating birthday cake.

"I have had a wonderful life," Crum said. "The changes that I've seen in my lifetime have been amazing. I wonder what the next 50 years might bring."

Aside from diminished vision in her right eye, Crum seems to be ready for another 50 years. She is mobile. She drives a car or a golf cart.

She is one inch short of 5 feet tall and weighs about 90 pounds, daughter Darilyn Whittmore said.

"I used to be 5-foot tall," Crum said. "But somewhere along the way I lost an inch."

Crum's son, Ronald, and five members of his immediate family joined his sister and 15 family members for her birthday week. Four generations showed up to hit golf balls and have fun Oct. 31. On Nov. 2, they hit the Country Meadows golf course again, this time for a picture-taking session with photographer Harry Jeffcoat.

"It's nice to see them all together," Crum said. "This certainly is a special occasion for me."

Her birthday week didn't start out on such a high note, however. On Oct. 30, Crum's blood pressure was uncomfortably low, and a neighbor drove her to South Florida Baptist Hospital.

"I don't know how low it was but they made me spend the night," Crum said. "I went home the next day and felt fine. I'm a little bit tired from all the fuss being made over me. But I went to the doctor today Monday and he said my blood pressure was just fine."

Her clean bill of health came after two holes of golf she played Nov. 2 with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Then came the two-hour photo shoot and interview. Nov. 3 included a birthday party at the Country Meadows clubhouse with more than 250 friends and relatives.

In 1980, Crum moved to Sun City Center with her husband, Dahrel. They came to the Sunshine State from her hometown of Liberty Center, Ohio, to escape the frozen winters.

"In 1984, we saw an ad in the paper describing Country Meadows," Crum said. "Dahrel and I are small-town folks and we thought we would prefer a more rural lifestyle."

They bought a home in the retirement village centered around the Country Meadows golf course.

"I started playing golf when I was about 20 years old," Crum said. "I graduated from Liberty Center High School and never bothered to go to college. Back then it wasn't as important as it is today. So I picked up golfing with the girls to pass the time."

The Crums were married in 1931.

"Dahrel was a salesman, selling ads for a local radio station when we first met," Crum said. "I was working as a bookkeeper at Liberty City & Stock Co. When we got married we bought The Liberty Hardware Store. I was the bookkeeper and worked in the housewares department."

Crum can remember when her family got around by horse and buggy.

"There were automobiles around. But not that many," Crum said. "None of the houses near us had electricity. No one had running water or indoor plumbing. Things that we take for granted now didn't even exist."

She inherited and may have passed along genes for longevity. Her father lived to be 94, her mother lived to 85 and her husband lived to see 89.

Playing golf and going to church regularly have been two constants in Crum's life. Each Sunday she attends First United Methodist Church of Plant City. Until a couple of years ago, she played regularly at the Country Meadows golf course.

"Dahrel passed away in 1998," Crum said. "We were married 67 years. But time keeps marching on and now I have grandchildren and great-grandchildren. It's wonderful to see them all grow and do well. They make me happy and proud."

Reporter George H. Newman can be reached at (813) 865-4451 or gnewman@tampatrib.com.

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