Walton County Bridge Named in Honor of the World's Oldest Living Person
The Besse Brown Cooper Bridge was dedicated on New Hope Church Road, in the community of Between in Monroe, Ga. on Friday, Aug. 24, 2012.
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WALTON COUNTY, GA — On Sunday, the world's oldest living person on record will have another birthday. She will be 116 years old.
And on Friday, she had a bridge in Walton County named in her honor.
The Besse Brown Cooper Bridge was dedicated a little after 2 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 24, 2012 on New Hope Church Road in the community of Between.
Cooper moved to the community in 1917 at the end of World War I. She taught at a little two-room school just up the road from the bridge that now bears her name.
Walton County Chairman Kevin Little and several local dignitaries were on hand for the dedication ceremony. Little noted that an event of this magnitude would probably never take place in Walton County again. Cooper is one of only eight people recorded to have reached the age she is now.
Cooper's son, Sidney, and two of his three other siblings were on hand for the ceremony. Her grandson, Paul, was with Cooper at the nursing home in Monroe where she now lives, and called in her thoughts about the prestigious event.
"The older she has gotten the more wittier she has gotten," her son said. "She said, 'I'm glad I gave them a reason to name it.'"
Kim Roberto
7:18 am on Saturday, August 25, 2012
How wonderful!! Happy 116th birthday Ms. Cooper!!!!!
comcom
7:04 pm on Sunday, August 26, 2012
There is a lady down Mexico to be 125 years old !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
sorry Ms. Cooper.
Sharon Swanepoel
7:14 pm on Sunday, August 26, 2012
Ms Cooper is the oldest person with verifiable records. I believe they have looked into the lady in Mexico before but could not verify the records. The Guinness Book of Records and the World Record Academy as well as Wiki. have Besse Cooper listed as the oldest verified person on record. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldest_people
Harriet
7:14 pm on Sunday, August 26, 2012
Ain't no such lady. If there was, she'd have a name
Ben
11:27 am on Saturday, August 25, 2012
Happy Birth Day, Mrs Bessie Brown Cooper, hope you have many more. Thanks also to all of the people who worked on the Bridge, it opened sooner than they said it would.
Kristin Phelps
1:08 pm on Saturday, August 25, 2012
Great honor, happy 116th birthday Besse. If anyone is interested in more information on these amazing people or other supercentenarians(people over 110 years) we track all verified living supercentenarians at http://www.livingsupercentenarians.com.
lilah garner
8:22 pm on Saturday, August 25, 2012
So does this mean the bridge is now open ?
Sharon Swanepoel
9:38 pm on Saturday, August 25, 2012
Yes Lilah, it is.
brutony
3:20 pm on Sunday, August 26, 2012
Is she single?
john j. palmieri
3:35 pm on Sunday, August 26, 2012
we would be very lucky to live that long . look at all the lies we could tell , who would know the difference.
Alanna Zuckerberg
3:39 pm on Sunday, August 26, 2012
Happy Birthday and many more to you. You are an amazing woman!!!!!
Kenneth W. Gatten
3:42 pm on Sunday, August 26, 2012
God has blessed you pretty lady. Happy Birthday !!!
lesley
3:53 pm on Sunday, August 26, 2012
shes not the oldest i know another person
Harriet
4:12 pm on Sunday, August 26, 2012
She's the oldest living. Your stiff person doesn't count.
Rhonda Green
4:43 pm on Sunday, August 26, 2012
HBD, Mrs Cooper, is the school you taught at still standing ?
Evan
5:44 pm on Sunday, August 26, 2012
got so many over 120 in africa ...She has been blessed ,But Definately not the oldest
Harriet
6:00 pm on Sunday, August 26, 2012
Name one African over 116
Alexander Bradley-Popovich
10:28 pm on Sunday, August 26, 2012
Do you really believe that? Just because someone claims they are 120+ does not make it true... Besse Cooper has proven her age! There are lots of people who SAY they are older, but should you believe them when their records were "lost"? Most of those people live in a place where no such records were kept or the record keeping was questionable... Incredible claims require incredible proof.
dianna
5:59 pm on Sunday, August 26, 2012
wow...absolutely amazing.....Besse you are a beautiful woman & so very blessed. I never would've guessed 116! God Bless you! Happy Birthday!
Sherry Jones
6:19 pm on Sunday, August 26, 2012
if she was 19 in 1917, wouldn't she be 114?
SUNKEN SUB
6:23 pm on Sunday, August 26, 2012
You know women and their TRUE age ;)
Happy birthday MS Cooper :) :) :)
Larry Reid
6:23 pm on Sunday, August 26, 2012
You have to figure in all the leap years since then
Sharon Swanepoel
6:41 pm on Sunday, August 26, 2012
Your calculations are right and since I'm not sure whether it was the date or the age that was not correct, I've changed it to reflect that she came after the end of World War I. She is definitely the oldest person on record as per the Guinness Book of Records. I've uploaded a YouTube Video that verifies it.
Larry Reid
6:47 pm on Sunday, August 26, 2012
Yea, the article was mistaken. Wiki has her story:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Besse_Cooper
eileen rettig
7:17 pm on Sunday, August 26, 2012
just want to say"happy birthday"and may you have many more