A modest birthday wish from a former U.S. corporal was met with an unexpectedly gigantic response in Big Spring.
When Carl Reid asked the public in a Facebook post to send him 100 birthday cards in honor of his 100th birthday, his request was met 45-fold.
Over 4,500 birthday cards poured into the Lamun-Lusk-Sanchez Texas State Veterans Home in time for Reid’s centennial celebration on June 15.
The World War II vet and recipient of the Good Conduct Medal and the Victory Medal reeled in birthday greetings from 48 different states and Canada.
“My elementary students at summer school all made you birthday cards! They were so excited to make you smile!” wrote Kea Conrady on the Facebook post.
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY MR. REID! THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE I ADMIRE YOU SIR!” commented another Facebook user, Eva Thompson Kennedy.
Some people sent Reid cake and other treats along with their cards.
“It’s nice to have all my friends here,” Reid said during his birthday event, according to WFAA. “[I was] broken up when I got out there.”
The sentiment was shared by one of Reid’s sons, Donald Reid, who noted how incredible it was “that people would take that kind of time to acknowledge his accomplishment of getting to 100,” according to WFAA.
After his military service, Reid went back to his roots and began a farm, where he raised livestock and grew cotton, corn, and maize.
“We all had good lives, and had him to look up to for being such a good father figure,” said another of Reid’s sons, Phillip Reid, according to WFAA.
“He’s always been there for us if we needed anything, and just a good, strong man that you could lean on,” added Donald, per WFAA.
Another Texas senior citizen earning the spotlight recently was Lindel Harvey of Joshua, as The Dallas Express reported last month.
Harvey celebrated his 92nd birthday with a gym session at the local YMCA, where he consistently inspires other gymgoers with his age-defying physical fitness.
Of the one in 5,000 Americans that reach age 100, around 85% of them are women, according to Boston University’s New England centenarian study. While genetics play a 30% role in an individual’s longevity, the other 70% is lifestyle behaviors.
SuperAgers like Reid and Harvey might carry some pearls of wisdom when it comes to lessons in wellness, as The Dallas Express reported previously.