For Felimina Rotundo, work may be the elixir of life. At 100, she gets up and goes to work almost every day in Buffalo, New York. And not just part-time or even banker's hours. Minnie, as she's known to family and friends, puts in an 11-hour day, Monday through Saturday, according to Buffalo's WGRZ-TV.
And she's not sitting behind a desk, either. Rotundo works from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. as a laundress at the College Laundry Shoppe on the city's Main Street.
Next year, the city of Salem will be celebrating the 150th anniversary of the birth of Caroline Emmerton, a champion of immigrants. In 1999, the Salem Evening News and its panel of local historians honored her as the "Person of the Century." Emmerton was an exceptional philanthropist who dedicated her time and fortune to help immigrants adjust to American culture through language classes, vocational training, parental support, and history programs. Her signature achievement was the enterprising settlement program, which has withstood the test of time and continues to help newcomers prosper in their new country. She also endowed programs for the elderly, widows, orphans, and the poor, as well as the public library and historic preservation works.
