Pictured: Mrs. Agatha Wood in her home
It’s not very often you hear the news that a person turned 100 years old. So, it made it all the more special that a local woman, named Agatha Wood, recently achieved this outstanding milestone. Mrs. Wood made the century mark on Wednesday, October 14th, and a special birthday celebration was held on Saturday, October 17th. In honor of her accomplishment and of her storied life, we paid a visit to her home on Highway 67 to find out about her life’s journey. Here is what she told us:
Agatha Wood was born on a farm in De Ann, Arkansas on October 14th, 2026. She was born to Willis and Wessie May Poole, who had moved to Arkansas from Oklahoma City in the early 1900’s. As large as families were back then, Agatha was the second youngest in her family out of nine children.
Looking back on her life on the farm, she told us a bit about just how different life was back then. In the present day, the majority of us usually go to the grocery store to buy our grocery needs. On the family farm however, Mrs. Wood’s family raised most of what they ate, ranging anywhere from the corn that they grew for cornbread, watermelons, and even dairy from their cows. Along with these few crops, the family also grew cotton. Everyone in the family, boys and girls, would help with the work on the farm. With this self-sustainability for the Poole family, they were able to stay fed even through the harsh times of the Great Depression.
Mrs. Wood graduated from Blevins High School in 1944, graduating as the Salutatorian of her class. Although she wanted to attend college, girls then weren’t able to obtain scholarships or loans for college easily, and her family didn’t have the funds for her to go. She also felt as though it would have been unfair if she was able to go to college and her siblings weren’t. Thus, soon after graduating, Mrs. Wood left for Washington D.C. to work as a switchboard operator for the Navy, as the Second World War was in full throttle at the time. In fact, the switchboard she helped to operate was the second largest of its kind in the world. She would work this job until the end of the war.
After the war had ended, employees who had been hired more recently began facing layoffs. Seeing this, Mrs. Wood decided to return home to Arkansas. Upon return, she worked for a short while for Western Union Telegraph in Little Rock. In March of 1946, she married her husband, Tillman V. Wood. The two had known each other since their high school days.
Soon after their marriage, the two moved to California where Mrs. Wood took up a job at a telephone company. During this period, they would also have their first son, Dennis. According to her, they really enjoyed California, however, they just didn’t think it was the best place to raise kids. Along with this, she also realized that her and her husband’s parents, who were back in Arkansas, were growing older. So after five years of living there, they made their final move, coming back to Arkansas around 1950.
From then on they would live in the Hope area. In 1953, their youngest son Scott was born. In the spring of 1955, they would join Unity Baptist Church, and that fall, she began teaching Sunday School, something that she still does to this day! She said she has always loved being able to teach these classes, because sometimes her students would ask her questions that she didn’t know the answer to, so she would have to research it.
In 1965, she took a job that, looking back on her track record of past employments, you wouldn’t expect; a school counselor. That year, Mrs. Wood began working as the secretary to the counselor at Hope High School. She said she would mainly help students with finding scholarships and loans. Working with some of Hope’s finest, such as Earl Downs, Floyd Young, and George Straughter, she would serve the community at the school for 27 years.
Today, Mrs. Wood has continued to serve her community and her church. Even at the age of 100, she still drives to church on Sunday mornings. In her later years, she has taken the call as a grandmother, saying she’s always wanted to make sure her home is a welcoming place for her grandchildren.
After learning about her life’s story, we asked her a few extra questions about life:
Reporter: What are some of your best memories growing up?
Mrs. Wood: “Well one of my favorites was on Christmas Eve, when all of my older brothers and sisters would come home, and mama would make and lay down pallets for us to sleep on. We just enjoyed each others company, even with that full of a house. Another one is when I was too small to pick cotton, and I wasn’t able to have a cotton sack of my own, I would take fresh water out to the field, and my brother would let me ride on the sack he was pulling.”
Reporter: How has life changed from then until now?
Mrs. Wood: “Well, people were poorer then than they are now. But people were also more considerate of each other. If a farmer got sick, and his crop needed attention, the people would all get together and would bring their team of mules or horses, along with their plows, and they’d plan out everything that needed to be done that day. Nobody looked down on anybody else, because everybody was in the same boat. Now, we have a lot more conveniences than back then. On the farm, we milked our own cows, churned our own butter, and grew our own food. I’m glad that I was raised in the situation that I was because it taught me how to work.”
Reporter: Who was the first president you remember?
Mrs. Wood: “Franklin Roosevelt, and the first one I voted for was President Eisenhower.”
Reporter: What are some of your favorite memories from your life?
Mrs. Wood: “Oh well I have so many! While I was living in Washington D.C., me and a bunch of others went to the train station there and watched this train come in. It was completely covered in black flags, and it was bringing the body of President Roosevelt back from Georgia. Another time in Washington, on the day that the Second World War, at least in Europe, ended, a man that I knew who worked up there had caught word that they were gonna turn the lights back on in front of the capitol building (The lights had been turned off since 1942 in fear of aerial attacks). So we walked across D.C. to the capitol and watched them turn on the lights for the first time after the war. One more from a bit later in life, my grandchildren loved going on hay bale rides with my husband! He would take them on rides on a tractor with a bale of hay on the front, and another on the back, and when they got on, he would take off and then he’d stop, and it would throw them all off. They would all have a great time!”
Reporter: What part has your faith played in your life?
Mrs. Wood: “Well, sometimes when you’re able to do everything for yourself, you don’t look to depend on God. But then, in the back of your mind, you always know he is available, and that he will always be there for you. I am so grateful to God because he has given me a good living. I have everything I need.”
Reporter: What is the key to long life?
Mrs: Wood: “Telling the truth, and not being afraid to work.”
Reporter: What words of advice would you leave to the young people of today?
Mrs. Wood: “Well, I like history. I would say, don’t turn your nose up to studying history, because you learn from your past. Also, everybody has the right to earn a good living, but you don’t have the right to depend on others to hand you a living.”
Reporter: What would you like to be remembered for?
Mrs. Wood: “Being a good grandma. I never had the privilege of going to my grandma’s house. That’s one thing that I want for my grandkids, for them to feel welcome any time of day or night, and my cookie jar is always full!”
As sharp as her mind still is, we could easily have gone on and on talking and learning with her about history and her life. But, we didn’t want to overstay our welcome of course. Even to this day, Mrs. Wood is a weekly attendee at Unity Baptist Church, a Sunday school teacher, and a loving mother and grandmother. We congratulate Mrs. Wood on her remarkable life, and we thank her for all of her work she has done for her church and for the school. Happy 100th birthday Mrs. Wood!
Pictured: Black and white photos are from Hope High yearbooks