When someone reaches the mega-milestone birthday of 100 years, it is reason to celebrate, but there's another reason friends and family of 100 year-old Estella Tate are singing her praises.
Tate is a former nurse who worked for 40 years in Kansas City. Her first assignment was General Hospital Number 2 in Kansas City. That was the only hospital for African Americans in Kansas City during segregation. Tate worked her way up through the nursing ranks, helping hundreds of patients in her career before eventually becoming a head nurse at the University of Kansas Hospital.
Tate is living at The Villages of Jackson Creek, in Independence. She couldn't have visitors for her birthday because of COVID-19, so her relatives came up with a melodic way to say happy birthday. About 10 family members and friends honored Tate by standing in a driveway in Lee's Summit, standing six-feet apart to maintain social distancing and sang happy birthday to her.
We See You and thank you Nurse Estella Tate for 40 years of being a nurse in Kansas City through segregation and desegregation. You achieved milestones that set a positive example for those generation that came after you.
Happy Birthday, Estella Tate!
