While Merritt Sherman is a healthy century-old, he did need a little help blowing out the 100 candles on his cake at the Highland Park Elementary School assembly held in his honor, from teachers Stephanie Paolone, Debbie Clinton-Bailey, and others.
The West Seattle Herald last visited Highland Park resident Merritt Sherman one year ago when he turned 99. This year his fans at Highland Park Elementary School held a birthday party for the spry centegenarian, born a mere 177 years to the day after George Washington. That was under the Roosevelt administration…That’s Theodore, not Franklin.
He is the oldest living graduate of that school, and was its crossing guard for 17 years, retiring four years ago. According to the school's administrative secretary, Margaret Young, the highlight of Mr. Sherman’s birthday party assembly was his birthday cake, complete with 100 candles.
"It took four teachers to light them and four students to help him blow them out before they all melted in a mass of candle flames. We used those long match sticks so that no one would burn their fingers,” she explained.
The assembly ended with 400 students robustly singing, “Happy Birthday To You, Mr. Sherman.”
“The kids got a big kick when I told them that I rode my horse, Tinky, to grade school with my sister, Mildred,” said Sherman.
While he clearly recalls the economic hard times of the 1930’s, he is cautiously optimistic about America’s future.
Said Sherman with Depression-era memories well intact, “I don’t think people are going to have the money they had in the past, but it will never get that bad again.”
