Meet Philip Sharp
Covington’s Very Own 110-year-old Cowboy
Lifelong northshore resident Philip Sharp and Reiss Saurage, who was born 100 years to the day after Mr. Philip. 62
NOT MANY 10-YEAR-OLD BOYS get to share their birthday celebration with a 110-year-old buddy. But Reiss Saurage of Covington did. The fourth grader from Lee Road School was born exactly 100 years after the third-oldest resident of the United States, Mr. Philip Sharp, also of Covington. The two were born and raised just miles—but a century—apart. And each year, Reiss’ mom, Darlene Saurage, makes sure her son is there to help Mr. Philip blow out his birthday candles. “Every year, there’s a big birthday celebration for Mr. Philip at New Zion (Baptist Church),” says
Inside Northside
Darlene. But there’s also a party at Sharp’s favorite restaurant, A Lil’ Tast’a Cajun, right across the street from Reiss’ school. “I always pull him out of school to be there and take him to the New Zion party, too, so they can celebrate together.” Born December 21, 1909 and 2009, they live in the same, small community just north of Covington, but have had markedly different childhoods. Born second-to-oldest of 10 children, Sharp knew what it was like to pick cotton, dig for potatoes, make syrup from sugar cane, care for livestock and hunt rabbit for the family’s dinner. The dozen Sharps lived in a two-bedroom house on 90 wooded acres with nary a neighbor in sight and didn’t have electricity until 1938. While Sharp lights up when he talks about hanging his stocking over the brick chimney because “they told us Santa was coming,” and how thrilled he was to find it the next day with an apple, an orange and a piece of candy, Reiss’ Christmas morning loot puts a strain on Santa’s reindeer just delivering it. While Sharp can’t recall when he got his first television (“I never did watch it much.”), Reiss is quick to tell us he has his own TV in his room, and his own cell phone and tablet, too. While Sharp was trapping and shooting the family dinner at 10 and doing his part around the farm before walking three miles to school, Darlene says Reiss is good about his weekly chores of emptying the dishwasher and putting away his clothes. Would Reiss like to walk three miles to school after completing his farm chores? He says he’d be “mostly fine with it.” But after his mom pointed out that would mean waking up hours earlier than he’s used to, he had to give the matter more thought. He
photo: THOMAS B. GROWDEN
by Mimi Greenwood Knight