By Ruth Ann Ruiz
The Post Newspaper Features Editor
The chances of living to be 100 are not in the cards for most of us. If you do get the honor of living on planet Earth for 100 years, celebrating with your family and friends gathered to honor both you and your family legacy is surely a grand way to mark the milestone.
Vera Bell-Gary turned 100 on December 6, and she planned her own birthday party to honor her grandfather’s legacy. At The Showboat in Texas City on Saturday, Vera sat on stage as the Caldwell family prepared to donate items to the Texas City Museum. Joining her on stage was her cousin Vander Caldwell Haynes, who had also turned 100 just two weeks earlier.
Kevin Haynes, representing the family, remembered when the items were in a family garage as he spoke to the audience.
“I’m very happy that they are no longer in the garage but will be a permanent part of the Texas City Museum,” said Haynes.
One item was their grandfather’s saddle, and the other was one of his branding irons.
Their grandfather, Thomas Caldwell, a Black cowboy, was one of the founders of the 1867 Settlement in Texas City. The Settlement emerged after the Civil War, built by formerly enslaved cowboys. Unlike many freed slaves, the founding families of the community were landowners and eventually formed a thriving, self-sufficient community.
Vera grew up in the Settlement and has spent decades honoring her family legacy as she worked to promote the area and helped ensure that the 1867 Settlement is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Included in the lineup for the event was Angela Taylor, whose soul-grabbing rendition of “To God Be the Glory” led the ceremony into the depth of the love and honor people felt for Vera and her family legacy.
As legendary Harold Cash offered the “Cowboy Prayer,” his voice carried the same reverence and honor as Taylor’s had.
Vera was honored with recognition from state and federal legislators. Rosalind R. Gary-Bell, district director for State Representative Reynolds, presented a resolution from both Reynolds and State Senator Borris Miles-Semple. She also presented Vera with a certificate and a flag flown over the United States Capitol from Congressman Al Green.
Kimberly Yancy, city councilwoman of La Marque, read a proclamation proclaiming December 6 as Vera Bell-Gary Day.
There were about 8 individuals who spoke sharing the family legacy and Vera’s life story which included her career as a social studies and home economics teacher in La Marque.
Once all the formalities were finished, family and friends came up to the stage and surrounded Vera with their love, showering her with hugs, kisses, and, of course, a lot of selfies with the centenarian who had made history—not just by turning 100, but because of her dedication to honoring the legacy of her ancestors.
