Oldest Living Grad Still Writing
by Christine Lampe '92
Alberita Semrad's passion for the written word began at the age of ten, when she won a dollar for a poem she penned about Grape-Nuts that was published in the Chicago Record Herald. From that day forward, Semrad knew she would be a writer. She graduated from UW-Madison in 1918, and in 1951 she wrote a book called The Zoo, a Rand McNally publication for children.
Today, Semrad lives at the Admiral Retirement Community (ARC) in Chicago. She keeps a scarlet blanket with a "W" logo on her bed (a birthday gift from one of her grandnephews). And she's still writing and recording history.
One of her nurses, Ellen Caravella, says of Semrad, "She likes cats and people, and if she meets you, she will get to know you and find out what it is that you like." In fact, she's spent much of the last ten years at ARC getting to know its two hundred residents, welcoming the new ones and capturing their life stories. In all, she's written at least one hundred biographies, which have appeared in a special book available in the ARC library.
Amazing, considering that Alberita Semrad celebrated her 106th birthday on May 31, 2002. Looks like she's gone from being the one recording history to the one making it. Congratulations to the oldest living UW grad!
Alberita Semrad's passion for the written word began at the age of ten, when she won a dollar for a poem she penned about Grape-Nuts that was published in the Chicago Record Herald. From that day forward, Semrad knew she would be a writer. She graduated from UW-Madison in 1918, and in 1951 she wrote a book called The Zoo, a Rand McNally publication for children.
Today, Semrad lives at the Admiral Retirement Community (ARC) in Chicago. She keeps a scarlet blanket with a "W" logo on her bed (a birthday gift from one of her grandnephews). And she's still writing and recording history.
One of her nurses, Ellen Caravella, says of Semrad, "She likes cats and people, and if she meets you, she will get to know you and find out what it is that you like." In fact, she's spent much of the last ten years at ARC getting to know its two hundred residents, welcoming the new ones and capturing their life stories. In all, she's written at least one hundred biographies, which have appeared in a special book available in the ARC library.
Amazing, considering that Alberita Semrad celebrated her 106th birthday on May 31, 2002. Looks like she's gone from being the one recording history to the one making it. Congratulations to the oldest living UW grad!
