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Adopt and present a resolution proclaiming the week of September 20-26, 2026, as Centenarian Week in Solano County; and Receive a video presentation
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Published Notice Required? Yes ____ No _X _
Public Hearing Required? Yes ____ No _X _
DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION:
Supervisors John M. Vasquez and Monica Brown recommend the Board of Supervisors adopt and present a resolution proclaiming the week of September 20-26, 2026, as Centenarian Week in Solano County; and receive a video presentation.
SUMMARY:
This year will mark the 20th Annual Centenarian Commemoration in Solano County. The Centenarian Commemoration is designed to honor and pay tribute to individuals who have reached 100 years of age or older.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The costs associated with preparing the agenda item are nominal and absorbed by the Department’s FY2026/27 Working Budget. The costs associated with the preparation and purchase of the resolution materials are included in the Board’s FY2026/27 Working Budget.
DISCUSSION:
This year marks the 20th annual Solano County Centenarian Commemoration, a tradition that began when the Board of Supervisors recognized District 4 Supervisor John M. Vasquez’s first-grade schoolteacher upon reaching her 100th birthday. What began as a tribute to one extraordinary resident grew into a countywide effort to recognize Solano County residents who reach the century milestone and to preserve the stories, experiences and contributions of the County’s oldest residents. With the September 2026 commemoration, the Board will have honored approximately 370 centenarians, representing more than 37,000 combined years of life experience.
Over the past two decades, Solano County has also had the rare distinction of recognizing two supercentenarians, individuals who reached age 110 or older: Marie West in 2011 and Reta Wills in 2021. Reaching age 110 is exceptionally rare, occurring in approximately one out of every 1,000 centenarians, making these milestones particularly noteworthy within Solano County’s long-running recognition program.
While centenarians remain a small portion of the population, their numbers are growing. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s most recent centenarian-specific report, released in September 2025 and based on the 2020 Census, there were 80,139 people age 100 or older in the United States, an increase of approximately 50 percent from 53,364 in 2010. Centenarians represented roughly two out of every 10,000 U.S. residents, and women accounted for 78.8 percent of the population age 100 and older.
Research into exceptional longevity continues to provide valuable insight into how people age and challenges common assumptions about growing older. Current research shows that there is no single pathway to reaching age 100. Longevity reflects a complex interaction of genetics, environment, lifestyle, health behaviors and social factors.
The ability of older adults to remain independent is also closely connected to the support they receive from family members, friends, caregivers and their communities. The U.S. Administration for Community Living reports that more than 63 million family caregivers provide support that helps older adults and people with disabilities continue living in their homes and communities. Programs that promote caregiver support, social connection, community-based services and opportunities for continued engagement play an important role in helping older adults maintain independence and quality of life as they age.
Centenarians therefore represent far more than exceptional longevity. Their lives offer insight into resilience, healthy aging, independence, adaptability, family and community connection, and the importance of maintaining purpose and engagement throughout life. They are also an important part of Solano County’s living history. Collectively, their experiences span more than a century of significant social, cultural, economic and technological change, providing perspectives that few generations can share firsthand.
In recognition of Centenarian Week in Solano County, the Board of Supervisors will honor the County’s centenarians and celebrate the remarkable lives they have built and the lasting contributions they have made to their families, communities and Solano County as a whole. The current 2026 roster identifies 51 individuals from communities throughout Solano County for this year’s recognition. Participating centenarians are invited to share their personal stories through interviews that will be incorporated into a commemorative video presentation and preserved in a hardcover yearbook for their families and future generations.
As Solano County celebrates the 20th anniversary of this special tradition, the Centenarian Commemoration continues to serve not only as a recognition of extraordinary longevity, but also as an opportunity to preserve history, honor lives of service and accomplishment, and recognize the wisdom, resilience, and legacy of some of the County’s most senior residents.
2026 Centenarians:
The following are the 2026 Solano County Centenarian honorees. These 51 individuals, representing a combined 5,176 years of life experience will be recognized by the Board, including:
From the City of Benicia:
Mary Lorinda Crakow, 99 (turning 100 this calendar year)
Helen Margaret Jacks, 103
Silvio Verbis, 100
From the City of Dixon:
Lupe Cerna, 101
Oakley Dexter, 103
Ricardo Periera, 100
From the City of Fairfield:
Farideh Amirkhizi, 105
June Bell, 100
Mary Calderon, 100
Swarn Johal, 100
Margarita Barcela Jove, 100
Gloria MacKay, 99 (turning 100 this calendar year)
Rosa Cortes Manzo, 101
Rose M. O'Gorman, 100
Maria Tavenier, 102
From the City of Rio Vista:
Myrtle Farleigh, 99 (turning 100 this calendar year)
From the City of Suisun City:
Elizabeth Tate, 103
From the City of Vacaville:
Fern Farnam Boots, 99 (turning 100 this calendar year)
Patricia Castro, 100
Emir Curtis, 104
Helen Davidson, 100
Arlie Ruth Drake, 100
Gen. John F. Gonge, 105
Shirley Helmich, 103
Virginia Herman, 101
Pearl Joe, 103
Jacoba Kovisto, 101
Lanelle Matthews, 101
Helen Melvin, 102
Arlene Moore, 101
Tillie Nicholas, 102
Dona Cecilia Nunez, 103
Virginia Plunkett, 104
Evelyn Podojil, 102
Gloria Townsend, 102
Mildred Velky, 102
Guadalupe Vidales, 105
Virginia C. Villa, 100
From the City of Vallejo:
Irene Acuna, 102
Viola Gilliam, 102
Regina Graves, 101
Luther Hendricks, 101
Dorothy Herger, 101
Shirley Ibey, 101
Ruth Mae Harris Love, 101
Virginia Mangabat, 104
Louis Mack Reese, Sr., 104
Sadie Williams, 102
Emma Lee Woodson, 101
Solano County:
Anita Blake, 99 (turning 100 this calendar year)
Josephine Williams, 102
In Memory of Those who Passed Away in the Last Year:
Lilia Abastillas
Leona Burns
Peggy Bassford Byrd
Marian Coles
Helen Devlin
Adelina Diaz
Jean Falkowski
Jonni Gibson
Catherine Rose Fraser
Esperanza S. Lopez
Eugene Lyons
Helen Marie Scrivner
Mildred “Millie” Stressenger
Elizabeth Thomas
Leona Young
Margaret White
Olevia Austin
Georgia Gee
ALTERNATIVES:
The Board may choose not to adopt and present the resolution and receive the video presentation; however, this is not recommended because centenarians have helped shape our nation as it is today. They hold the secrets of aging well and serve as a role model for quality of life for all ages.
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
APPROVE DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION