Congratulations

About 150 people congratulated Evalyn McKinney Colvin on her 100th birthday during a luncheon and musical program on Feb. 18 at the First United Methodist Church of Burbank.

She was born on Feb. 23, 1906, in Conway, Ark., and moved to Oklahoma at 3 shortly after Oklahoma became a state. Her father was a preacher in the Nazarene Church. The youngest of five girls, Colvin graduated from college in Talequah, Okla.

She taught for 16 years in Oklahoma in a one-room school with first through eighth grades all together. The majority of the students were Cherokee Indian.

During the Depression, she would cook a pot of pinto beans for the students before class as many had very little to eat.

In the summer she helped in the World War II effort by working at the powder plant.

She moved to California in 1947 and taught school in San Diego for 20 years and, after retirement, continued to receive affectionate contact with many former students.

Colvin participated in the Point Loma College Auxiliary, and was active in the local Nazarene Church.

She and her husband, Kenneth Colvin, moved to Burbank in 1991 and became involved in the Burbank First United Methodist Church where their son-in-law, Larry Stamper was pastor.

Colvin's husband, Kenneth, passed away in 1992. When she was around 93, she started teaching an adult Sunday School class, which she continued for about four years.

She had a son and daughter. They gave her seven grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren and an expected addition of twins is due this month.