Good Age: 'The ladies who lunch, an invincible bunch'; let's go meet Frances Perkins

QUINCY − In his 1970s song "The Ladies Who Lunch," Stephen Sondheim gives "a toast to that invincible bunch … Let's hear it for the ladies who lunch."

And so I sing it out for four Quincy residents I have written about and admired for many years. Each is wonderfully vital and inspiring in her own way. It's been a joy to see them navigate into their 90s.

Gay Carbonneau, of Quincy, celebrated her 94th birthday March 3. The retired elementary music teacher was treated to a birthday luncheon at the Venezia Restaurant in Neponset by three good friends and neighbors in Houghs Neck: Peg O'Connor, 91; Lois Murphy, 91, and Norma Jane Langford, who will be 90 in June.

Four women, all accomplished, for whom age "is just a number." In their 90s, they continue squeezing more out of life, helped by their long friendships and regular lunches or suppers together.

"It couldn't have been more of a joy," Gay said of her birthday treat. "We're fortunate we have this small little group. Four people who could sit down and talk without looking at their phones. And even now, you discover little things about each other you did not know, the way they think, and it gives you such a warm feeling, that everything is going to work out all right."

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"The food was delicious (she had lobster, scallops and shrimp in a special sauce), we had a very patient waiter, a beautiful day and high tide with a lovely view," Gay said. "We all love the ocean; that's why we live in Houghs Neck."

Gay welcomed piano students into her home for lessons into her early 90s, is a member of the Houghs Neck Garden Club and belongs to two book clubs. One met Saturday to discuss "West with Giraffes."

"At this age, I find kindness is the thing I try to be," she said. "There is too little of it in the world. Every day is a surprise. We cannot plan how it comes out, and if you can just accept it for what it is, and try not to get upset about little things. And a sense of humor is my most dependable ally."

Vitality:Sharing music is her fountain of youth

Unstoppable Lois Murphy is doing what she "absolutely loves": working as a seasonal gardener at Nut Island State Park near her home. Last week, with the warm weather she was out raking gardens, putting down wildflower seeds she mixes with sand and pruning the beach plums. She also is in the garden club and paints lovely watercolors.

TirelessLois Murphy, 87, honored for her work at Nut Island State Park

Peg O'Connor, kindness personified, was a longtime outreach worker for the Quincy Department of Elder Services and also ran a support group for low-vision seniors at the Fore River Clubhouse until COVID shut that down.

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Norma Jane Langford is an author, artist, history buff and loyal friend and is involved in neighborhood issues.

"We're are all very grateful to be in our 90s and to have been given these years," Murphy said.

Bringing important women in history to life

I was amazed five years ago when I saw a public television documentary about Frances Perkins, a woman I had barely heard of who had accomplished so much that affected my life. It was exciting to find out more about her.

Perkins is considered to be the driving force behind President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal. She created or pushed for the programs that created Social Security, the 40-hour work week, overtime pay, unemployment insurance, workplace safety standards and a ban on child labor.

She was a confidante of FDR and she was the nation's first female Cabinet secretary, as secretary of labor, from 1933 to 1945. She dedicated her career to providing exploited workers with safe, humane conditions, and after the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in 1911 she developed a fire-safety code in New York that became a model for the country.

You have a chance to learn more about her in a free program the Quincy Historical Society is offering Wednesday, March 15, at 7 p.m. at the Adams Academy, 8 Adams St. in Quincy Center.

Historical performer Janet Parnes, of Millis, will portray Perkins, who led a complicated and intriguing life.

Alexandra Elliott, curator of the historical society, said Parnes will "escort us through Perkins' personal and professional trials and triumphs as suffragist, social and political reformer, wife and mother, and discuss her skills in building alliances and overcoming male prejudice."

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Perkins faced discrimination, ridicule and hostility but was adept at outwitting rivals and "staring down bullies." In an NPR review of "The Woman Behind the New Deal" by Kristin Downey, Maureen Corrigan described how Perkins knew the territory. She dressed sedately to remind men of their mothers, was reticent in all-male meetings but persistent behind the scenes, and kept "notes on the male mind" for individual strategies.

There is a Quincy connection. Perkins was a good friend of Mary Molly Dewson, who grew up in Quincy (there is a Dewson Road off Adams Street), became a brilliant social reformer and Democratic political operative and, like Perkins, a significant member of the New Deal. Dewson organized and led the campaign that resulted in Perkins’ appointment as secretary of labor.

Parnes has given well-received performances at the Quincy Historical Society on Dolly Madison, 19th century medicine and Gilded Age etiquette.

For more information about the program, call 617-773-1144 or send an email to Janet Parnes at LadiesTell@gmail.com. Visit the Frances Perkins Center online at https://francesperkinscenter.org/life-new/. Read "The Woman Behind the New Deal" by Kristin Downey.

Reach Sue Scheible at sscheible@patriotledger.com.

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This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Quincy quartet celebrate their 90s; meet New Deal's Frances Perkins