There’s something about a century that feels miraculous as a milestone, precious for both the history it contains and the future it opens. My grandmother, Goldie Weiss, lived past 100, but I wasn’t curious enough back then to explore her life with her or contemplate what it might invite for my future and that of my children.
My wife Kathleen, however, is insatiably curious. Her friendship with a woman named Frances Clark, who died at 98, will forever resonate within her and echo in my life as well. Frances’ longevity was extra notable because she was a Black woman, and only 8% of centenarians are Black.
Here’s Frances, in Kathleen’s words:
As Skip and I drove to visit Frances, my dear friend and former client, for what I believed would be the last time, I was conscious of the African proverb: When an elder dies, a library is lost. What must it be like to be a literal body of history, to contain WWII (Frances’ husband was a Tuskegee Airman), Vietnam, civil rights, the sexual revolution, the women’s movement, the influence of television, computers, cell phones, AIDS, abortion rights, the elections of Obama, then Trump, and so much more?
Frances was born in Indiana and raised her daughters Marcia and Marlene in Hyde Park. She was one of the original group of students to attend Roosevelt University and even met First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who influenced her greatly.
In the late 1960s, Frances taught for and trained teachers for Head Start, which begun by President Lyndon B. Johnson as part of his War on Poverty. Frances’ territory: Cabrini Green.
Frances was always engaged, teaching preschool and then kindergarten at the University of Chicago Lab School (without completing college!). She practiced and taught yoga, learned and worked using computers, and volunteered at the Chicago Botanic Gardens.
She was a member of prestigious Black sororities and later Black social clubs — important because Black people were barred from many downtown restaurants and entertainment venues. She had a circle of very close friends who remained in her life until the end, including Mamie Hansberry (sister of playwright and writer Lorraine Hansberry). Frances also interacted with generations of family. She was active in church and especially influenced by Johnnie Colemon, founder of the New Thought movement and the South Side Christ Universal Temple and Universal Foundation for Better Living.
A force who loved people, puzzles, movement, laughter, and nature, Frances was committed to not letting her lows control her life. According to her daughter Marcia, when Frances was traversing difficult times, she would sing from a song by The Impressions:
“It’s all right, so have a good time, cuz it’s all right.”
Frances died on March 6th, 2023, not long after our visit.
“It’s all right, so have a good time, cuz it’s all right.”
Louis A. Weiss
publisher
publisher@chicagohealthonline.com
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