Memphians who have reached their 100th birthday can now celebrate their centenarian status in the Century Club, launched earlier this summer by the city of Memphis and conceptualized by Nicole Hughes.
Open to residents of Memphis and surrounding communities in West Tennessee, the club will recognize members with a personal letter from Mayor Paul Young and a commemorative certificate, “recognizing their milestone birthday and contributions to the community,” says a press release.
At the beginning of 2025, Nichole Hughes came to the Young administration with the idea. For the past few years, she’s been celebrating her own Auntie Opal, now 107, with parties, commemorations, and surprises. When Auntie Opal turned 100, Hughes reached out to then-Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland’s office, who declared her July 28th birthday “Minnie Opal Hill Day.” Hill also received letters from Senator Lamar Alexander and Governor Bill Haslam, thanks to Hughes’ efforts, and she was the honorary duck master at the Peabody Hotel, which The Commercial Appeal covered.
“She got front page news,” Hughes says. “But something unexpected happened. There was a line of kids that formed and wanted to meet her because they had never met somebody who was 100 years old.”
Turning 100 is something special, almost magical, she realized. And so, Hughes kept applying for other centenarian honors for her great-aunt, like letters from more government officials, even the president. She worked with Hasbro to donate 105 board games to Literacy Mid-South in honor of Hill’s 105th birthday. As Hughes delved into almost a rabbit-hole search for more ways to celebrate her great-aunt, she came across city-founded programs across the U.S., honoring 100-year-olds in century, or centenarian, clubs.
And after finding out East Tennessee had a program but West Tennessee didn’t, her plan was no longer to just celebrate only Auntie Opal (who this year for her 107th birthday opted for a simple cake and no-frills get-together). It became much bigger: Memphis and West Tennessee needed their own century club. “I wish we could celebrate all centenarians in Memphis [the way we’ve celebrated Opal],” Hughes told the Flyer after Hill’s 105th birthday.
And the Young administration agreed.
“We love to recognize people, and turning 100 is a pretty big deal,” says Mairi Albertson, chief of staff for the office of the mayor. “We thought it was a really great opportunity to learn more about our citizens that have turned 100.”
“What’s so important to me,” Hughes adds, “[centenarians] hold so much of our history. … Memphis itself is about 200 years old, so they have essentially seen half of Memphis’ history and lived through it. So they’re very valuable.”
In the form to join or nominate someone for the Century Club, applicants are asked about their interests and hobbies, what advice they might have, and what keeps them young at heart. “I think we just have a lot to learn,” Albertson says.
So far, two individuals, including Auntie Opal, have joined the club. “What we hope to do as we get more members is to follow up with folks,” Albertson says, “and we might do something on the website or post a story on social media. There’s just so many different things we can do to highlight our citizens who have achieved that [milestone].”
If you know someone who’s reached 100 or older (or you yourself are 100 or older), you can fill out the nomination form for the Century Club of Memphis here.
