1918 — 2018
Lenore's Century
One woman's life, spanning 100 years of American history.
From World War I to the age of smartphones.
Lenore Arnett Young was born in 1918 and passed away in 2018. Her century witnessed world wars, moon landings, civil rights, the internet, and the transformation of America from an industrial power to a digital society.
A Century in Parallel: Lenore's Life & World Events
Early Years (1918-1940)
1918
Lenore is 0 years old
👤Lenore's Life
Born in Oklahoma. World War I ends just months after her birth.
🌍The World
WWI ends. Spanish flu pandemic rages. Women gain the right to vote (19th Amendment pending).
Eras of a Century
Early Years
Born at the end of World War I, Lenore grew up during the Roaring Twenties and survived the Great Depression. Oklahoma was her home, shaped by dust storms and economic hardship.
1918-1940 • Ages 0-22
World War II Era
A young woman during America's "Greatest Generation" moment. The war transformed the nation and the world. Lenore witnessed victory and the birth of the atomic age.
1941-1945 • Ages 23-27
Federal Career
Decades of service with the USDA. Lenore built a career in federal government through the Cold War, civil rights movement, Vietnam, and the space race. She saw the moon landing, Watergate, and the rise of computers.
1946-1990 • Ages 28-72
Golden Years
Retirement in New Mexico and Dallas. Lenore witnessed the Soviet Union's collapse, 9/11, the internet revolution, the first Black president, and smartphones transforming daily life. She reached 100 in 2018.
1991-2018 • Ages 73-100
A Century of Technology
Lenore was born before commercial radio and died in the age of streaming video. The technological transformation she witnessed was unprecedented in human history.
1920s
Radio, telephone, automobiles becoming common
1940s
Television debuts, computers begin (room-sized)
1960s
Color TV, satellites, computers in business
1980s
Personal computers, VCRs, cable TV
2000s
Internet ubiquity, smartphones, social media
2010s
Smartphones everywhere, streaming, AI emerging
From horse-drawn carriages to self-driving cars.
From telegrams to instant messaging.
From silent films to Netflix.
Lenore saw it all.
The Bridge Across Generations
Lenore Arnett Young was the bridge connecting the Van Dyke family's past to its present. She was born when WWI veterans were still young. She died when Afghanistan War veterans were already middle-aged.
She knew people who had known people from the Civil War. Her century spanned from the age of empires to the age of the internet. She witnessed more change than any previous generation in human history.
One hundred years. Two world wars. The moon landing. The internet.
The entire modern world was built during her lifetime.
Her story reminds us that history is not abstract. It is lived by individuals. The vast sweep of the 20th and early 21st centuries—all its wars, innovations, struggles, and triumphs—passed through the life of one woman from Oklahoma.
This is how the Van Dyke family connects to American history:
through individual lives, lived fully, across centuries.
Read Lenore's Full Biography
Explore more details of her federal career, family connections, and the century she witnessed.