Class researches life of oldest town resident

Parkdale teacher Mrs. Laura Cotton’s class took on a living local history project in January, with a timeline of events from the life of village resident Mrs. Ernst, the oldest person in East Aurora. At 108, Mrs Ernst still lives in her own home, and she was featured in the East Aurora Advertiser in celebration of her birthday.

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After reading the article, Mrs. Cotton’s students decided that they wanted to do some research about some famous events that have taken place during Mrs. Ernst’s 108 years.

Mrs. Cotton helped them compile their findings on small posters, featuring local, national and worldwide events including:

In 1903, The Wright Brothers took their first flight, and the first Model T was made by Henry Ford.
In 1912, the first Oreo Cookie was introduced, para-chutes were invented, and the Titanic sank.
In 1918, Daylight Savings Time began.
In 1920, women were granted the right to vote in the United States.
In 1922, the Tomb of King Tut was discovered.
The Aurora Movie Theater opened in 1925.
In 1928, Bubble Gum was invented, and the first Mickey Mouse cartoon was published.
In 1930, Fisher Price was founded.
In 1932, Amelia Earhart flew solo across the Atlantic Ocean.

Each student wrote a letter to Mrs. Ernst, introducing themselves and relating facts that they learned that were the most interesting to them.

The letters were delivered to Mrs. Ernst, who was excited that so many people are interested in the events that have taken place during her lifetime.

Said Mrs. Cotton, “Not only did my students learn a lot about history, they connected the history with our own East Aurora celebrity who is 108 years old!”