Casey Medlin finishes his breakfast of eggs, bacon and pancakes as he discusses his walking regimen. “Being active and staying on the go is a priority,” he says. Medlin only moved to assisted living this year.
He sits in a wheelchair, but stands and pushes it back to his room where he and his son Dan, former guard for the Oakland Raiders, catch up, tidy Casey’s room, and discuss plans to attend the Friday night Thomasville High School football game.
104-year-old Medlin reads his Bible after breakfasts every day. “I learned the value of reading the Bible when I was a child growing up at Mills Home,” he says. “It amazes me how much more I understand it the older I become.”
At the 2019 Mills Home Homecoming on August 4, Medlin reminisced with other alumni, even though he has out-lived the residents he knew growing up. When he lived on campus in the 1920s, more than 500 children were in care. Those he remembers, those who came after him, and those who live at Mills Home remain his brothers and sisters. At 104, he is the oldest Baptist Children’s Homes alum.
The lifelong Thomasville citizen served in the Navy, had a long career at the hosiery plant, and coached little league baseball. He also ran the clock for the Thomasville Bulldog football games for 57 years.
On October 19, Medlin was inducted into the Davidson County Sports Hall of Fame as the “Unsung Hero” recipient. A plaque hangs on the wall of his room along with others and treasured family photos.
The soft-spoken man says there really is “no secret” to growing old. But with a chuckle, he confesses, “I do avoid junk foods.”
Article written by Jim Edminson, Editor