*Dorothy Boggess is 109 years old, and some mornings she starts her day in the kitchen with the “Cha Cha Slide.” Holding onto the counter, she swings her legs, bends her knees and moves with the music. Even more remarkable? One of the people who understands her long journey best is her 109-year-old friend, Velma Long.
Both women were born in 1917. They met at 23 during World War II and have remained friends for more than eight decades, checking in by phone almost every day.
When The Washington Post asked the women about their longevity, they pointed not to a miracle food or expensive wellness routine, but to something much more familiar: staying social.
Their friendship, however, is only part of an extraordinary American story.
They Met While Serving During World War II
Boggess was studying social work in Atlanta in the early 1940s when she moved to Washington to contribute to the war effort.
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She and Long became part of the generation known as “Rosie the Riveters,” women who entered jobs left open as men went overseas during World War II.
Both became government clerk typists. Long worked for the Navy, while Boggess worked for what was then called the War Department, earning $1,440 a year.
Their future husbands entered the picture through work. The men were cousins and close friends, and what began as lunch dates eventually became frequent double dates.
Soon, Boggess and Long had a friendship of their own.
“We spent a lot of time together and traveled everywhere,” Boggess told the Post.
Their Friendship Survived Segregation — and Made History
The women’s longevity means their memories stretch across eras younger generations know primarily through history books.
Boggess recalled walking to the Interior Department for lunch because it wasn’t segregated.
“The food was better,” she added.
Boggess and her husband later became active in the civil rights movement, and her Washington home still contains memorabilia from that period, including a flag from the 1963 March on Washington.
She also made sure Black women’s wartime contributions weren’t erased.
In 1997, after the Washington Post published a story about women known as “The War Girls” that discussed White women but omitted Black women, Boggess wrote a letter to the editor correcting the record. The newspaper published it.
At the time she was living through these historic events, however, Boggess didn’t necessarily view herself as making history.
“I was just having fun,” she told the Post.
At 109, They’re Still Moving
Neither woman stopped engaging with life when she got older.
They exercised together when they were younger and raised families while living near one another in and around Washington. Both remained connected to churches, neighborhoods, social clubs and sororities.
Boggess learned to swim at 69, an accomplishment she still considers one of her proudest.
Long was dancing in heels at her 100th birthday.
Both traveled extensively after retiring from social work careers in the 1970s. Boggess’ travels stretched from Argentina to Turkey, while Long visited destinations including Bermuda, Montreal and Hawaii.
Long even flew to Texas last year with her daughter, Phyllis Valentine, for a celebration marking her college’s 150th anniversary.
Today, getting together isn’t as easy as it once was. But the two women still talk by phone almost daily.
“We’ve both lost so many close friends,” Boggess said. “It’s amazing that we’re still functioning.”
Is Friendship Really a Longevity ‘Secret’?
There is no scientifically established formula guaranteeing someone will reach 109, and Boggess and Long’s experience shouldn’t be treated as one.
Genetics, environment, health care, lifestyle and numerous other factors can influence longevity.
Still, their emphasis on relationships isn’t coming out of nowhere. Research has repeatedly associated strong social relationships with better health and survival outcomes. A widely cited analysis of 148 studies involving more than 300,000 participants found that people with stronger social relationships had a greater likelihood of survival than those with weaker connections.
For Boggess and Long, the formula is less clinical.
They exercise. They stay involved. They maintain family and community connections. And after more than 80 years, they still have each other.
Long celebrated her 109th birthday by inviting Boggess to church. Boggess had celebrated her own 109th in May, with Long attending her church.
Imagine meeting someone at 23 and still being able to call that person at 109.
Maybe there’s no single secret to living that long. But Boggess and Long have spent more than eight decades demonstrating something worth remembering:
Whatever number you reach, life can be a lot richer when you don’t travel through it alone.
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