Elizabeth Israel
Encyclopedia
Mione Elizabeth George Israel (January 27, 1875? – October 14, 2003), known as Mione "Minette" George for much of her life, and as Elizabeth Israel and Ma Pampo later in life, was the focus of one of the most widely publicized longevity claims
of recent years.
. Her birthdate of January 27, 1875, was attested by an entry in a baptismal register as reproduced after a 1979 hurricane, and by a birth certificate procured for her in 2000 based on the baptismal register. She was known by the name Mione "Minette" George for much of her life; Israel was her married name. She worked as a crew chief on a plantation into the late 1970s.
In her old age, she became the focus of one of the most widely publicized longevity claims
of recent years. In December 1999, she was publicly stated to be 124 years old and the world's oldest person. Disk jockey Alex Bruno was the initial advocate of this claim; Bruno established a foundation and promoted a play about her life, and sought to promote tourism to Dominica based on its being a haven for longevity. Attempted validation of her claim was called both "frenetic" and "barely attempted". Israel was disabled when she was first promoted as the world's oldest person, and did not promote herself.
Her attested birthdate would have made her 128 years old at death. The Guinness Book of World Records rejected her longevity claim based on lack of evidence, while promoters made strongly worded demands that the claim be accepted on its evidence. The longevity claim was supported by the highest ranks of the government of her native Dominica. The observed life expectancy
on Dominica, and the extremely high death rates among supercentenarian
s, were cited as requiring greater evidence than her promoters provided. The baptismal register was a third-generation copy; the entry cited was for "Elizabeth Israel", her married name; and no documents attesting to the birthdate and dating to the first century of her stated lifespan were ever produced.
From February 1991 to her death, Israel was stated to be older than the "world's oldest person" as recognized by the Gerontology Research Group
, though this was not publicized until December 1999. Israel had memories of the early 20th century and was believed to be probably at least 100 upon her death in Dominica in 2003.
Longevity claims
Longevity claims assert extreme human longevity. Those asserting lifespans of 110 years or more are referred to as supercentenarian. Many have either no official verification or are backed only by partial evidence...
of recent years.
Biography
Israel was born in DominicaDominica
Dominica , officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island nation in the Lesser Antilles region of the Caribbean Sea, south-southeast of Guadeloupe and northwest of Martinique. Its size is and the highest point in the country is Morne Diablotins, which has an elevation of . The Commonwealth...
. Her birthdate of January 27, 1875, was attested by an entry in a baptismal register as reproduced after a 1979 hurricane, and by a birth certificate procured for her in 2000 based on the baptismal register. She was known by the name Mione "Minette" George for much of her life; Israel was her married name. She worked as a crew chief on a plantation into the late 1970s.
In her old age, she became the focus of one of the most widely publicized longevity claims
Longevity claims
Longevity claims assert extreme human longevity. Those asserting lifespans of 110 years or more are referred to as supercentenarian. Many have either no official verification or are backed only by partial evidence...
of recent years. In December 1999, she was publicly stated to be 124 years old and the world's oldest person. Disk jockey Alex Bruno was the initial advocate of this claim; Bruno established a foundation and promoted a play about her life, and sought to promote tourism to Dominica based on its being a haven for longevity. Attempted validation of her claim was called both "frenetic" and "barely attempted". Israel was disabled when she was first promoted as the world's oldest person, and did not promote herself.
Her attested birthdate would have made her 128 years old at death. The Guinness Book of World Records rejected her longevity claim based on lack of evidence, while promoters made strongly worded demands that the claim be accepted on its evidence. The longevity claim was supported by the highest ranks of the government of her native Dominica. The observed life expectancy
Life expectancy
Life expectancy is the expected number of years of life remaining at a given age. It is denoted by ex, which means the average number of subsequent years of life for someone now aged x, according to a particular mortality experience...
on Dominica, and the extremely high death rates among supercentenarian
Supercentenarian
A supercentenarian is someone who has reached the age of 110 years. This age is achieved by about one in a thousand centenarians....
s, were cited as requiring greater evidence than her promoters provided. The baptismal register was a third-generation copy; the entry cited was for "Elizabeth Israel", her married name; and no documents attesting to the birthdate and dating to the first century of her stated lifespan were ever produced.
From February 1991 to her death, Israel was stated to be older than the "world's oldest person" as recognized by the Gerontology Research Group
Gerontology Research Group
The Gerontology Research Group was started in 1990, and is a global eGroup of researchers in gerontology, some of who also meet monthly at UCLA in Los Angeles, California. The primary function of the group is to further gerontology research, with the objective of reversing or retarding aging...
, though this was not publicized until December 1999. Israel had memories of the early 20th century and was believed to be probably at least 100 upon her death in Dominica in 2003.
External links
- Living to 100 - Magazine of the Pan American Health Organization
- World's Oldest Person Turns 128 - TheDominican.Net
- Ma "Pampo" The World's Oldest Person - www.AVirtualDominica.com
- Guadeloupe has world's oldest, BBCCaribbean.com