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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Dressed in a crisp navy blue sleeveless dress with white polka dots, M. Hope Park was greeted by dozens of guests who gathered to celebrate her 100th birthday at the Central United Methodist Church Sunday.</p><p>Of the many well-wishers at the party, which was held immediately after church services in the all-purpose room, were several of Park&#8217;s former students.</p><p>Born on Aug. 19, 1915, Parks was a 1932 graduate of Hazleton High School and received her teaching degree from Bucknell University in 1936.</p><p>In 1942, she was offered a teaching position at Plymouth High School due to a shortage of male teachers who went off to war. She taught chemistry and geometry there for three years. For the next 36 years, she taught math and health at Plymouth Junior High School.</p><p>Parks maintained her residence in Hazleton while teaching in Plymouth but stayed at a boarding house near her job during the week and drove home on the weekends until 1963 when she moved to Wilkes-Barre. She retired in 1981.</p><p>Parks, who still drives, said she has &#8216;no idea&#8217; what the secret to her longevity is, but surmises it has to do with good genes.</p><p>&#8220;My great-grandmother lived to be 89 and she said nobody would live as long as her,&#8221; she said. &#8220;And two of my dad&#8217;s sisters lived to be 95.&#8221;</p><p>Parks was the speaker at the class of 1964&#8217;s 45th reunion in 2009. &#8220;They made me an honorary member of their class,&#8221; she said.</p><p>Parks is active in a number of church groups, and recalled her first committee meeting for the World Day of Prayer at St. Vincent&#8217;s Church in Plymouth a few years ago. Many of those in attendance were her former students.</p><p>&#8220;I went around calling each of the girls by their maiden names,&#8221; she said as a testament to her ability to remember details.</p><p>Pat Smith, Pat Wheeler, Lois Monka and Arlene Muchler, all students of Parks in the junior high, couldn&#8217;t wait to give their favorite teacher a hug. The women, who are all from Plymouth, said they see Parks now and then when they attend Central UMC&#8217;s dinners and other social functions.</p><p>When she ran into Parks ran at a church function in the late 90s, Monka said Parks recognized her as one of her students but struggled to remember her name. &#8220;She said, &#8216;I know you&#8217;,&#8221; Monka recalled. &#8220;She said the name of each of my sisters until she remembered mine.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;I think she remembers everybody from Plymouth,&#8221; added Muchler.</p><p>When asked how she felt education has changed since she was a teacher, Parks responded: &#8221;Let&#8217;s put it this way; I wouldn&#8217;t want to be a teacher today. There&#8217;s no respect for anybody.&#8221;</p><p>Although she demanded respect in her classroom, Parks said she was pretty easy going and didn&#8217;t mind too much if her math students counted on their fingers.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;d say, &#8216;you can use your fingers to count to ten, but don&#8217;t take off your shoes to count to 20,&#8217;&#8221; she said.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Hope Park, left, is greeted by one her former students Pat Smith of Plymouth who had her for a math teacher in eighth grade at Plymouth Junior High School. Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_TTL081715Birthday_21.jpg</photo0><caption0>Hope Park, left, is greeted by one her former students Pat Smith of Plymouth who had her for a math teacher in eighth grade at Plymouth Junior High School. Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_TTL081715Birthday_31.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Hope Park blows out the candles on her birthday cake at a party in her honor at Central United Methodist Church in Wilkes-Barre on Sunday. Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_TTL081715Birthday_31.jpg</photo1><caption1>Hope Park blows out the candles on her birthday cake at a party in her honor at Central United Methodist Church in Wilkes-Barre on Sunday. Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_TTL081715Birthday_41.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Long-time choir mates Edie and Bernie Wolf, left, traveled from Danville for Hope Park&#8217;s 100th birthday party at Central United Methodist Church in Wilkes-Barre on Sunday. Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_TTL081715Birthday_41.jpg</photo2><caption2>Long-time choir mates Edie and Bernie Wolf, left, traveled from Danville for Hope Park&#8217;s 100th birthday party at Central United Methodist Church in Wilkes-Barre on Sunday. Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_TTL081715Birthday_11.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Hope Park of Wilkes-Barre, right, walks into the Central United Methodist Church social room with parishoner Ken Michael for her 100th birthday party Sunday in Wilkes-Barre. She will turn 100 on Wednesday. Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_TTL081715Birthday_11.jpg</photo3><caption3>Hope Park of Wilkes-Barre, right, walks into the Central United Methodist Church social room with parishoner Ken Michael for her 100th birthday party Sunday in Wilkes-Barre. She will turn 100 on Wednesday. Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </caption3><photoCredit3></photoCredit3></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Camille Fioti</p><p>For Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>The Times Leader newsroom may be reached at 570-829-7242 or on Twitter @TLnews.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Former students help M. Hope Park celebrate 100th birthday