Celebrating LW Centenarians

This is one story in an occasional series profiling some of LW’s most long-lived residents, those who have reached the enviable age of 100 years or more. The series is running in connection with the Golden Age Foundation centenarian event on April 20, which will celebrate these milestones. In most cases, a family member or friend has written the stories.

by Joanna Matos

LW contributor

Mark Glickman of Mutual 2 is living proof that he is part of the Greatest Generation, men and women who served their country and lived through World War II.

Mark served in the Army detached 20th Air Force. He doesn’t talk about birthdays; rather he acknowledges his experiences because life is too short, and he is too busy singing and dancing.

Born in the Chicago area, he came from a poor family. He laughs as he tells the story of working for the city as a teenager for 19 cents an hour. His job was to put glue on large sheets that were then cut into tiny squares, which became windshield stickers for automobile licenses.

Another unusual job he had was working at the Wall Street Journal’s print department.

Mark learned to read music and play the piano from a friend in the Ben Bullocks band. He played at all the hotels in Santa Monica. He trained at the Veloz and Yolanda dance studio in Los Angeles and became a Fred Astaire studio dance instructor, teaching rumba, cha-cha, tango and waltz for many years.

During his working life, Mark owned a Culver City nightclub, a beer bar in Los Angeles and an appliance store in Long Beach. He came to Leisure World in 1988 and has been a Mutual 2 building captain ever since.

A special highlight was when he won the Orange County Senior Music contest with an authentic singing rendition of Maurice Chevalier.

Mark, whose stage name is Mark Gilbert, had a sparkle in his eye when he perfectly sang the French song, unaccompanied, to this writer.

Happy centenarian birthday this year to Mark, who always has music in his heart.