Fred E. Copeland celebrates his recent 102nd birthday at Wellington Place Assisted Living in Hixson. Lynn Brotton, a certified nurse assistant and resident assistant at Wellington Place, assists Copeland.
Photo by Katie WardFred E. Copeland may only be the third-oldest living graduate of Auburn University, but at 102 years old, he is older than most.
Copeland celebrated his birthday May 31 at Wellington Place Assisted Living in Hixson with friends and family present.
“To live a long life, live a conservative life with a positive attitude,” he said. “Also, be careful what you eat. I never smoked cigarettes and never drank alcohol.”
He said he has lived a long life full of hard work and determination. He earned degrees in electrical and industrial engineering in the early 1930s and then moved to Chattanooga. He worked at Tennessee Valley Authority from 1934-1936, after which he spent 24 years working in Washington, D.C., as a geological surveyor.
“I married a Chattanooga girl, Kate Davis, and moved back to Chattanooga,” said Copeland. “We were married for 53 years before she passed away. We had one daughter, Kay that lives in Cheyenne, Wyoming. We have a granddaughter that lives in Colorado and a grandson that lives in Boston.”
Copeland has lived at Wellington Place Assisted Living for four years. His said his hobbies include playing bingo and reading.
“I get up early each morning and read the Chattanooga Times Free Press paper,” he said. “Then I take the paper to a friend to read and they pass it around for everyone to read. I get up at 6 a.m. and go to bed at 10 p.m.”
Copeland attributes his long life to eating three meals a day and no snacks. He said for breakfast he eats bacon, toast, jelly and Raisin Bran. He said for lunch and dinner he usually eats salad, fruit, meat and vegetables. He said he likes to drink coffee with all three meals.
“I try to cut back on sugar and salt and live a healthy life,” he said. “I’m taking physical therapy to get exercise now. I weighed 227 pounds two years ago and now I weigh 170 pounds.”
Copeland said he also attributes a long life to his faith. He is a member of Northside Presbyterian Church.
To pass the time in his retirement years he began painting and made needlework creations. He now has three beach painted scenes, two snow painted scenes, a string art ship and a needlepoint ship hanging in his apartment.