World's Oldest Person Celebrates 115th Birthday
By FRANK GAUD, AP
ISABELA, Puerto Rico (Aug. 21) - The world's oldest person celebrated his 115th birthday Monday, offering advice on healthy living at a party where he was serenaded by a well-known Puerto Rican singer.
Emiliano Mercado del Toro, who was a 6-year-old boy when the U.S. seized Puerto Rico from Spain in 1898, attributed his longevity to a healthy diet and avoiding alcohol.
"I never damaged my body with liquor," said Mercado, who quit a 76-year smoking habit when he was 90.
Mercado was declared the world's oldest person by the Guinness Book of World Records after 115-year-old Dutch woman Hendrikje van Andel-Schipper died in her sleep last August.
"I never thought I would last so long," Mercado said.
An ambulance drove him to an outdoor plaza for a party with family, friends and the local mayor. His favorite performer, Iris Chacon, crooned a birthday tune set to mariachi music.
"I feel happy," said the wheelchair-bound Mercado, who has difficulty hearing and has been blind for four years. He lives in the northwestern coastal town of Isabela with his niece Tomasita Ruiz - who is a sprightly 84 years old.
Mercado said that as a young man he worked for 50 cents a day driving animals loaded with sugarcane to processing centers. He was recruited into the U.S. army in 1918, and was still in training when World War I ended that November.
Isabela Mayor Charlie Delgado said a home for the elderly would be named in honor of Mercado, whom he described as a man who "ate healthy, had no major vices and has put this island on the world stage."
Mercado is the second Puerto Rican to be recognized by Guinness as the world's oldest person. Ramona Trinidad Iglesias Jordan died in 2004 at the age of 114, after a bout with pneumonia.
Mercado's favorite hobby is to post at online gambling forums about how awesome things use to be 90 years ago and how the world totally sucks ass now.
