Nationwide — Dorothy Boggess and Velma Long, who are both 109 years old, have shared a friendship for more than eight decades. The two women have remained close through marriage, family, careers, travel, civil rights work, and the many changes that came with growing older. Their friendship began in Washington, D.C., during World War II, when both women worked for the federal government.
Boggess had moved from Atlanta to Washington in the early 1940s to join the war effort, while Long also took a government job. Both became “Rosie the Riveters,” a term used for women who entered the workforce while many men served overseas. Boggess worked as a clerk typist for the War Department and earned $1,440 a year. Long held a similar position with the Navy. The women soon became friends, and their husbands also grew close because they were cousins. The couples often went on double dates, traveled together, and spent years sharing family celebrations.
According to The Washington Post, Boggess and Long also witnessed major changes in American life. Boggess and her husband became involved in the civil rights movement, and her home still contains items from that period. In the late 1990s, she also challenged the way a Washington Post story described the women who worked during World War II. The article highlighted White women but left out Black women who had also joined the workforce. Boggess wrote to the newspaper to point out the omission, and her letter was later published. She said she did not think of herself as making history at the time. She was simply living her life and enjoying the people around her.
For decades, the two women lived near each other in the Washington area and stayed involved in their communities. When they were younger, they attended exercise classes together and held birthday parties for their children in Boggess’s backyard. They remained active in their churches, social clubs, neighborhoods, and sororities. Boggess also learned to swim at 69, an accomplishment she still considers one of her proudest. Both women continued traveling after retiring from their careers in social work in the 1970s. Boggess visited countries ranging from Argentina to Turkey, while Long especially enjoyed trips to Bermuda, Montreal and Hawaii. Long’s daughter, Phyllis Valentine, said her mother still loves to travel and recently took her to Texas for a celebration at her former college.
Now, getting together has become more difficult, but the friendship has not faded. They speak on the phone almost every day, giving each other a familiar connection after losing many friends over the years. Boggess still keeps moving by exercising in her kitchen, sometimes putting on the “Cha Cha Slide” and following the dance steps while holding onto the counter. Long also stays active and continues going out with her daughter, who encourages her to remain involved in the world around her. Long has a great-great-granddaughter who is 4 years old, adding another generation to a family life that has stretched across more than a century.
Both women credit staying social as an important part of their long lives. They have exercised, eaten well, and remained connected to their families and communities, but their friendship has given them something especially meaningful: someone who remembers the world they entered as young women. They first met when they were in their 20s, and more than 80 years later, they still make each other laugh and stay connected almost every day.