To Celeberate 105th
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by Patricia Coulter The staff of SunBridge Care and Rehabilitation for Ardmore is making plans for a special celebration Saturday, May 13. The celebration will honor SunBridge’s oldest resident, Rosa Nell Driver, who will be 105 on Friday, May 12. Mrs. Driver will be the guest of honor at a party beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday. In honor of this landmark birthday, the City of Ardmore has proclaimed the week of May 7-May 13 as “Miss Rosa Driver Week”. A lifelong resident of Giles County, Mrs. Driver was born May 12, 1901, (Mother’s Day) in Elkton, TN. The daughter of the late Rev. Samuel and Henrietta Bridgeforth, she was the 20th of 23 children. Rev. Bridgeforth was a Baptist minister and a sharecropper. Mrs. Driver says she remembers going to church a lot as a child. She also attended school at Elkton. |
Congratulating resident Rosa Nell Driver, center, on her upcoming 105th Birthday are, SunBridge staff members Carol Sims, left, and Sue Harbin, right. (photo by Patricia Coulter) |
As a young woman, she helped her mother raise her sister’s two children. She helped with the cooking and washed clothes on a scrub board, however, she didn’t have to work in the fields like her brothers.
Later she married Rogers Driver and became stepmother to his three children, two girls and a boy. She and her husband were the proprietors of “Blueberry Hill”, a local nightclub that featured live bands. The establishment started as a service station then grew to a restaurant, nightclub and drive-in movie theater. Mrs. Driver says she met Fats Domino there and the song “I found my thrill on Blueberry Hill” was written after visiting the club.
Mrs. Driver has been a resident of SunBridge for the past nine years. She reads the Tennessean newspaper every day and does not need any eyeglasses. She also enjoys reading The Bible and Upper Room Devotional Guide. Mrs. Driver likes to watch Channel 48 on her TV. She enjoys eating soul food, turnip greens, barbecue, beans, souse and cheese. She also likes to listen to Gospel music.
When asked to give some advice to others about living a long life, Mrs. Driver said we should pray, love one another and trust in the Lord.
Mrs. Driver says she has many friends and it is very evident when visiting her. The staff members at SunBridge affectionately call her “Granny”. She enjoys visits from anyone who drops by. Mrs. Driver expressed her gratitude to the staff at SunBridge. She said they take very good care of her.
Last year on her birthday, Mrs. Driver received greetings from President Bush, Tennessee Governor Bredesen, Elkton Mayor Bill Ware, Giles County Mayor Vanzant, and many friends and relatives. She was also named the Giles County Citizen of the Day on her 104th birthday. Willard Scott of NBC News sent Mrs. Driver greetings on her 103rd birthday.
Friends and family members are invited to drop by SunBridge on Saturday, May 13, at 3 p.m. to help Mrs. Driver celebrate her birthday. Those who want to send cards to Mrs. Driver may do so in care of SunBridge Care and Rehabilitation for Ardmore, Room 12, 25385 Main Street, Ardmore, TN 38449.
Mrs. Driver has two daughters, Elizabeth Henry of Decatur, AL, and Gladys Gardner of Los Angeles, CA, and one son, Rev. Rogers Driver of Nashville, TN. She is looking forward to her birthday and says she “feels blessed and is thankful to the Lord”.
