One hundred.

In the classroom, the number is considered the mark of supreme excellence.

For coaches of athletics, it is a landmark number for wins earned.

One-hundred is the first foray into triple digits, and the mark of a century.

For seven women living at Luther Crest, a Diakon senior living community in South Whitehall, and an eighth member on her way, it is also the number of years they have been alive.

Ethel Risley and Dorothy Mann, both 100; Jeanette Corbet and Ruth Yeo, both 101; Alice Klingensmith and Jane Jones, both 103; and Eleanor Bechtel, 106; comprise the seven centenarians living at Luther Crest.

Agnes Eisman will turn 100 next January.

So, how do you measure the years in a life?

For some in the group, music has been the constant because of its ability to refresh, invigorate and remain with them through any and all changes.

"I can't read because I can't see well enough, so I have to entertain myself," Jones said. "I like to sing. I like to dance around the room. I love music."

While Jones can be heard singing along with the radio, Yeo and Klingensmith fondly remember how music shaped their lives as well.

Yeo was a musician who taught and played music her entire life.

"I had an aunt who taught me when I was 5, and I've had music all the rest of my life," Yeo said. "I played with my sisters who were 6 and 7 at the time, and we played the three of us on the piano at once.

"We played in churches and colleges. We all went to the same college so we could stay together, play together."

While Yeo specialized in the clarinet and piano, Klingensmith chose the organ as her instrument of choice.

"I was very musical, too," Klingensmith said. "I played the organ and sang in the choir all my life in the church and also at school."

Klingensmith still listens to music not only to keep her mind active and healthy, but also because, as she says, "It brings back constant memories."

For Mann, Bechtel and Eisman, the fondest memories involved their time with family.

Mann's daughter, Carol, is a constant at Luther Crest, where she watches over her mother.

"She sleeps in my room," Mann said."She gets awake in the morning, and always says, 'I'll be there by 6:30 [p.m.]' By 6:30, they'll all tell you, she comes walking in. She's here every day."

Even as the eldest member of the group, Bechtel still enjoys playing board games with her daughter.

Just like the rest of the group, the family-centered Eisman lived through the Great Depression, but remembers the good, not the bad because of her family.

"We did things together," Eisman said. "It was a tough time, a real tough time, and we did whatever we could and whatever we did we enjoyed. Always, family was first."

Eisman's attitude shown bright as she shared her most cherished memory, meeting her now late husband Abe and, as she spoke with pride, of her three sons.

Risley, or "Mother Risley" as she calls herself, had a rather large, though not an immediate family to watch over in her younger days.

Instead, she mentored young students as a teacher at Schnecksville among other schools.

"They needed somebody to confide in," Risley said. "They would come and confide in me. I was their mother in school."

Corbet, too, spent much of her time serving others.

This led to her not only recording 10,000 hours of volunteer work, but also resulted in her getting the chance to watch over and do crafts with John F. Kennedy Jr. while he was a young boy.

However the group measures their years, they all add up to living one's life to the fullest.