Bowling Green woman celebrates 105th birthday

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) - A Bowling Green woman is celebrating over a century in the community.

Sunday morning, Kathryn Gilbert blew out her candles and had a piece of cake to celebrate her 105th birthday. According to her daughter, Glenda White, she is the oldest living alumni of the training school, renamed College High, and the oldest living alumnus of Western Kentucky University.

Kathryn Gilbert with daughter, Glenda White.(None)

Gilbert graduated from WKU’s business college and became the first secretary of the Chamber of Commerce when there was not a director and grew the program to over 400 members.

The 105-year-old was the first woman to work for the railroad in Bowling Green and in Louisville in their offices. “She said it was nothing to climb up on a coal truck and see if it was empty or full,” says White about her mother.

“Oh, she loves bowling green. She’s lived here her whole life except for the time she was in Louisville. and she knows everybody—or she did know everybody. she could tell you where—even now—I take her out in the car and she goes, ‘I know where I am,’” White describes.

Gilbert’s daughter says something else interesting about her is she was a fantastic dancer and won one of the WKU business college’s competitions.