U.S. oldest man, p. 1

U.S. oldest man, p. 1

BARTON, Fla. - Charlie Smith, an ex-slave and a western outlaw, celebrated his 137th birthday on the Fourth of July while the America was marking its 203rd anniversary.
The Social Security Administration said Smith has been certified as the oldest known living American.
Smith said he doesnt [sic] know his exact birth date, so he just adopted the one observed by America, to where he was lured, he said, from Africa by slave traders who promised him a “fritter tree.”
The man who is only 66 years younger than this country was given a 10-gallon cowboy hat and a western shirt, which reminded him of the days when, he said, he rode with outlaws Jesse James and Billy the Kid.
Smith drinks rye whiskey and refuses to believe that men have walked on the moon. When asked if cake is his favorite food, the celebrant told nursing home attendants and guests that “just eating, period” is his favorite.
He adds that “getting old makes him feel like a winner.”
At 137, he is.

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Baltimore Afro-American

1979-7-14