On Sunday, August 15, 2010 I, along with Jana Jordan Guest - also BHS '70 and a longtime friend of the honoree, attended the 100th birthday party of Genevieve Cowden Sultenfuss, BHS '28, at the Glendale Elk's Lodge on Colorado in Glendale. Over 250 (closer to 300) people were there to congratulate Genevieve. She and some of her family sat at a head table and the guests filed past to give Genevieve their birthday greetings and best wishes. At 2:00 a serve yourself ice cream sundae bar began, with numerous kinds of Baskin-Robbins ice cream, and toppings galore, (sundaes on Sunday)! At 3:00 two large cakes with 50 lit candles on each were brought out, and everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to Genevieve. (The candles were then blown out with an air cannister!) One cake was chocolate and the other was white cake, and after being cut were served to all the guests. At 4:00 was a champagne toast to Genevieve, with several of her family speaking, along with a Glendale City Councilwoman and two former Mayors. Also, a resolution was read from L.A. County Supervisor, Mike Antonovich, who also knows Genevieve. Besides champagne, wine and Martinelli's cider was available. It was a grand celebration! Genevieve's younger brother, 97 year old Willis Cowden, came from Salt Lake City with his daughter for the celebration. Willis is a BHS winter '32 grad. He and his family have lived in Salt Lake City for many years, and Willis was a police officer for the SLC Police Department for 29 years. Genevieve and Willis had two older sisters who have passed away that were from the BHS '25 and '26 classes. The mother of Genevieve and her siblings lived to be almost 103!
Genevieve Cowden Sultenfuss was born on August 12, 1910. She still lives in her own home in Glendale that she and her husband had built in 1940. She still sold real estate occasionally after she was 90, and she drove until she was 93. She was the first female president of the Glendale Board of Realtors in 1968, and the first female president of the Glendale Chamber of Commerce in 1977. Her daughters both graduated from Hoover High School in Glendale, Audrey Sultenfuss Carr in 1956, and Julie Sultenfuss Shermer in 1960. Genevieve has seven grandchildren, and about the same number of great-grandchildren. Genevieve from the BHS class of 1928 rode in a 1928 Ford in the BHS Centennial Parade on September 13, 2008. There is a story about her that I wrote that is included in the BHS Centennial book, "The Blue and White Wave High". Genevieve and some of her family will be at the next Senior Bulldogs alumni luncheon on September 13 at the Burbank Elk's Lodge where there will be recognition of Genevieve's 100th birthday in a Bulldogs celebration.
Alan Landros '70
