Campaign: Elderly Portaits Austin, Texas: VIRGINIA LAWRENCE, 93

Growing up near Sweetwater, Texas, I had a sick brother, and my mother was very young. So she sent me away a lot, to ranches and farms, where I got to ride horses, and to my grandmother’s. She and my Aunt Geton took me over. My aunt was a flapper; she rolled her hose up above her knees, painted her knees and didn’t wear underwear! My grandmother taught me to be happy — I have a sticker on my walker that says: “Do what makes you happy.” That’s how I live, and I taught my children that. I’ve had a wonderful life.