"Miss Burma" Turns 100

Photo by Dwight Hayes

February 20, 2008
February 20, 1908...The New York to Paris Auto Race was in its eighth day, postage stamps had just been issued in rolls for the first time, the first tunnel under the Hudson River was about to be opened and a 3.5 pound baby girl named Burma Sparks was born.

Even at 100 "Miss Burma", as she is affectionately called by many of the staff at the Arab Golden Living Center, has a twinkle in her eyes and a ready smile as she tells of her life

Born in Dekalb County near Sardis, Burma was the oldest child of A. G. and Alice Sparks.  Burma, who was delivered at home, obviously likes to tell the story of what her father told her mother shortly after she was born.  "My daddy came into the room and said 'Momma I'm proud of our little baby but ain't she ugly.'  I must have really been ugly for my daddy to think I was ugly," she says with a smile.  Burma remembers her daddy always calling her mother "Momma".  She said he did it so that the kids would always respect their mother and so they would call her Momma.

Burma's mother died when she was young and she became the surrogate mother to her younger siblings.  Later she would meet and marry R. E. Nolen.  R. E. was one of eleven children in his family.  When asked about children of her own Burma quickly tells of the decision between she and her husband to not have any children.  "After taking care of all those brothers and sisters we were fed up with kids and decided not to have any."

Burma and R. E. eventually made their way to Gadsden where they worked at the Dwight Cotton Mills for many years.  Later they would return to Arab where Burma took a job at the Arab Frosty Freeze.  "I dipped the ice cream and made the sundaes and banana splits," she quipped.  Later she would become a CNA at the Arab Nursing Home, now Golden Living Center of Arab.  According to Burma she started in 1974 and worked eight years at the nursing home although great niece Paulette Davidson who is a nurse at Golden Living is not sure of the exact time.  Burma came to live at the Golden Living facility in September of 2002 according to Davidson.

Burma is also the great aunt of Arab Fire and Rescue Captain Jerry Holmes.

By the way, in case you are wondering how autos raced to Paris from New York....  they made the trip by crossing the ice between Alaska and Siberia.  The race took 88 days.