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Note: ! HAPPY 100TH WALTER !!!! ! TAKEN FROM THE ROCK ISLAND ARGUS APRIL 11, 1984 Walter Wakeland first greeted the world in a log cabin a century ago in Millersburg. He was the fifth son of a carpenter who raised his 10 children in the tiny Mercer County Village during a time when teen-agers looked forward to their first horse instead of a first car and fine craftsmanship was the pride of men who worked with their hands. Today Wakeland, who officially celebrated his 100th birthday saturday will be honored during a special birthday celebration at his current residence,St. Anthony,s Continuing Care Center, Rock Island. Mayor Jim Davis will present him with the keys to the city during the afternoon party. A century of life hasn't dimmed Wakeland's spirit. although now confined to a wheelchair, he doesn't let that stop him from flirting with his lady friends at St. Anthonys and he wasn't too shy to tell a reporter when she got too nosey. "That's my business," he replied when asked what secrets he may attribute his long life to. One of his favorite memories is of his first horse, aquired at the age of 18. It wasn't anything fancy,"it was just a horse," he explained "but it took me anywhere I wanted to go." His first car didn't come until 1917, when he proudly took the wheel of a Model A Ford. "Best car ever made,"said Wakeland. Wakeland married his wife Mabel in 1906 and they went on to parent eight sons and two daughters ... the same number of sons and daughters that his parents had. He was a carpenter all his working years, retiring around 1960. It was a trade that had deep roots in his family. "Clear back to the time they came from Virginia to Kentucky they were carpenters," said Gerald Wakeland one of Walters sons, who lives in Rock Island "The family was known for fine craftsmanship and woodworking" said Gerald. He estimates "half the homes in Mercer county had cabinets or woodwork made by the Wakelands." The family first emigrated from England before the Revolutionary War, first settling in Kentucky and Virginia, before becoming some of the first settlers in Mercer County in the early 19th century. Wakeland first worked in Millersburg, later moving to Rock Island where he has lived for about 40 years. He did free-lance carpentry as well as working for Deere and Company for a time as a carpenter. Though carpentry was a family tradition for many years in the family, none of his 10 children picked up the trade,but pieces crafted by their father is in the collection of family mementoes.
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