On a rainy day in June, professional photographer Eric Ebner instructed his subject, Betty Randall, to look at a picture of a flower on her wall.
“Okay, now back at me... and big smile,” said Ebner, just before the shutter began to click.
Randall, a Homer native, sat on an overstuffed chair in her living room. Draped across the chair was a sash from her birthday in September. It read, “100 & Fabulous.”
Randall was born in 1924, one of twelve children on a farm just outside Homer.
The lifelong Michigan resident never wandered too from home. For 18 years she owned a beauty shop in town, the Campus Beauty Nook, on Main Street.
Over the last 100 years, Randall said she has witnessed many changes. She talked about life before electricity, and the first time she ever flipped on a light switch.
Her advise for a long life is straightforward.
"Work hard and be kind," Randall said.
Randall, along with 12 of her Calhoun County neighbors, are highlighted in a keepsake magazine published by Senior Services. The magazine will be available when the group of 100-year-olds are honored on Thursday, at this year's Centenarian Celebration in Marshall.
In the past, Calhoun County recognized citizens who had reached the 100-year mark with a luncheon. But organizers said the COVID-19 pandemic forced the county to get creative.
Today, the Centenarians of Calhoun County project includes interviews with each honoree, a professional photoshoot for the annual publication, a celebratory reception and a spread on the county’s website.
Rebecca de Finta, with Senior Services of Calhoun County, does the interviews. Since 2021, she said the agency has interviewed 75 centenarians. She said resilience is something they all have in common.
“When we first started, we would ask them 'what's the key to longevity?' And we got all kinds of answers," said de Finta.
"But as I've been doing this program, what I've noticed is almost every single one of them, they might go through good times or bad times, and in the bad times they may take a moment to be in the moment, but then they get up and they move on. They don't stop. They continue through life."
"And I think what I've gotten out of this, is that they don't give up."
De Finta said the 2025 centenarians project will also be on display at the county fair in August where, she added, visitors often recognize neighbors and former teachers.
“We're not going to stop doing this because it's just such a great tool to show people that you can get older, and just because you're older and you might not work anymore, you might not be able to drive a car anymore, but you have so much wisdom and so much power that you don't even realize.”
Project photographer Eric Ebner has been working on the Centenarians of Calhoun County project since the county began publishing the magazine in 2021.
Ebner grew up in Marshall, but now lives out of state. He said he comes home every summer for this project because it teaches everyone how to live life “a little more successfully.”
“It's my favorite project of the year," Ebner said.
"It's a bit addicting meeting these people and seeing, you know, what their lives are like. And just being able to talk to them for five minutes is awesome."
"And I get paid to take these incredible photos, so I want to keep doing it forever.”
His "addiction" to the project turned into a local art exhibit of some of Ebner's photos.
It also inspired him to film a documentary about a married couple he met while working on the project. The film, Bud & Violet, won best documentary at the Wolf Tree Film Festival this year and will be shown at Thursday’s celebration.
The reception and film are free to the public. The event is scheduled for 2 PM on Thursday at Marshall United Methodist Church, 721 US Highway 27 North.
