Photo Credit: Granicus / Mayor Newell Arnerich presents centenarian Alice Kalin with a framed proclamation on November 4.
(DANVILLE, Calif.) – Alice Kalin has witnessed more than a century of history. Born in 1922, she has seen the Tri-Valley transform, experienced technological advancements that would have seemed unimaginable to her parents, raised five children, and overcame a life-threatening cancer diagnosis that ultimately resulted in the amputation of her leg.
On November 4, the Danville Town Council recognized Kalin’s remarkable life and legacy, with a proclamation honoring her 104th birthday. Mayor Newell Arnerich delivered a special proclamation, and presented Kalin with the key to the town. She was also awarded Danville's first-ever challenge coin, in recognition of her husband's military service.
Making her story even more remarkable, and according to the mayor, Kalin underwent a “radical life-saving amputation of her leg,” following a cancer diagnosis almost 70 years ago. This did not stop her from living a successful life.
During the council meeting, Arnerich read a proclamation officially recognizing October 28, 2026 as Alice Kalin Day, in honor of her extraordinary milestone and life, noting Kalin's longevity, resilience and contributions as one of Danville's longtime residents.
Born in nearby Hayward, Kalin was raised in the Tri-Valley area and spent much of her life in Livermore before she and her husband made Danville their home in the 1960s.
When Kalin was born Warren G. Harding was president, silent movies were the rage, and the Great Depression had not yet rocked the world. As pointed out by Mayor Alerich, “[t]he world was only beginning to imagine many of the technological and medical advancements that would come to define the modern era.”
Reflecting on Kalin's early years during the Roaring Twenties, Arnerich said jokingly, “I bet you were something in those days.”
Photo Credit: Pinterest / Livermore Heritage Guild / Bankhead Theatre / Photograph of Livermore circa 1920, around the time Kalin was born.
The mayor spoke about the changing world witnessed by Kalin over the course of her 104 years, including the advent of television and the mid-20th-century space race. He also highlighted medical advancements, from the development of penicillin in her childhood and the polio vaccine in 1955, to the “completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003” when she was about 81.
Yet, Kalin’s life during those decades was about much more than witnessing history. She raised her children, supported a husband whose military service spanned WWII, Korea, and Vietnam, and was given a life-altering diagnosis when she was in her mid-thirties.
In 1958, the same year Elvis Presley joined the U.S. Army, Kalin turned 36 years old. In that year, she faced a “life-threatening cancer” diagnosis in her leg and doctors reportedly advised her to “put her affairs in order.” That changed when a second opinion gave her a new chance at life: a “radical…amputation of her leg” at the Mayo Clinic.
According to Mayor Arnerich, Kalin did not allow “her disability to define her future,” and instead, Kalin chose “to go forward and enjoy life,” as directed by her physician.
The town’s proclamation recognized not only Kalin’s status as a centenarian, but also the perseverance and spirit that have carried her through more than a century of change. Kalin's story is, as noted by Mayor Alerich, that through positive action, “life's greatest obstacles can be overcome, with courage, resilience, and indomitable spirit.”
Alice Kalin’s connection to Danville began about sixty years ago, when Danville, according to the mayor, “was still a small unincorporated community surrounded by ranch lands, orchards, and open countryside.” About six decades later, Kalin has watched Danville evolve into what it is today, including the town’s incorporation in 1982.
The presentation also included a particularly meaningful gesture: a key to the town, recognizing Kalin as one of Danville's longest-standing residents.
When the mayor jokingly asked Kalin to tell him what door the key opened, because no one could “figure it out,” Kalin’s answer was simple: “The door to my heart.”
In recognition of her connection to decades of military life, Kalin also received a challenge coin, a traditional military keepsake, which the mayor pointed out was the first issued by the town. Kalin's husband served in the USAF, including roles in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam.
At 104, Kalin's life, which began a little more than two years following the ratification of the 19th Amendment in August 1920 giving women the federal right to vote, offers a remarkable perspective on the changes that have shaped the world and the Tri-Valley community she has called home for more than half a century.
But more than a testament to growth for a particular region, Alice Kalin's story is one of resilience in the face of adversity, a willingness to embrace life, and the importance of enduring connections within the community.
To add to or correct any information in this report, please contact me at robert.m@lead4earth.org or leave a comment below with your thoughts.
1
0
Comments