Oldest American, Goldie Michelson, dies at 113 and 11 months
Published July 10, 2016
Goldie Michelson in 2008. (Clark University)
(JTA) — The oldest American, Goldie Michelson of Worcester, Massachusetts, has died at the age of 113 and 11 months.
Michelson was named the oldest living American in May. She lived for 113 years and 335 days, and her age was a source of pride, the Boston Globe reported.
Michelson (neé Corash), who was born in Russia in 1902 and emigrated with her family to Worcester at the age of 2, died at home on Friday.
Michelson remained in Worcester her entire life. She credited her longevity to walking.
She graduated from Pembroke College, which later became the Women’s College of Brown University, and received a master’s degree in sociology from Clark University in Worcester. Her thesis at Clark was titled “A Citizenship Survey of Worcester Jewry” and examined why many of the city’s older Jewish-immigrant residents did not pursue American citizenship or learn English.
She told the Worcester Telegram in 2012 that her thesis was inspired by her time working with Jewish women’s organizations, like Hadassah and the National Council of Jewish Women. Michelson was also active in other community groups, including one that supported the founding of Brandeis University.
After graduating from college, she was a social worker in Worcester, and went on to teach religious education and direct plays at a local synagogue. She married David Michelson, a friend of her brother.
She acted and directed nearly all her life, directing a pageant performance of “Fiddler on the Roof” when she was nearly 100.
Her husband, David, a businessman who developed medical office buildings, died in 1974.
After her husband’s death, Michelson endowed the Michelson Theater and the David and Goldie Michelson Drama Fund at Clark University.
“It never occurred to me that I would live this long,” Michelson told Clark University’s magazine in 2012. “I just went on and on, and I’ve loved it.”
