Model Laboratory fifth-grader Isaac Hite turned 12 years old today, but it is only his third birthday.
Being born on Feb. 29, 1996, is not the only thing that makes Isaac special.
“He was born with the (umbilical cord) wrapped around his neck twice and was having seizures” said his mother, Margaret Hite. “He’s a true miracle baby and we’re so thankful he’s alive.”
Isaac is excited about his leap year birthday plans.
“I’m going to invite some of my family members and some of my friends,” he said. “Most kids don’t have this type of birthday. Some of my friends ask me if it feels special.”
His birthday usually is celebrated on Feb. 28, he said.
He will not have another Feb. 29 birthday until he is a freshman in high school.
Berea resident Felecia Shearer says she has learned to “just take it as a blessing because not everybody has the opportunity to be born on leap year.”
The first big leap year birthday she remembers was when she was 16 years old. Her two siblings were known to get a little jealous when leap year rolled around, she said.
“They didn’t get the big, big gifts like I did,” Shearer said. “They always got like one gift and they didn’t like that all the time.”
It was not until the first grade that Shearer realized she was not like other kids.
“I noticed that everyone else was having a birthday and I was sad,” she said. “I asked my mom and she explained to me that I was very special and that I was going to get to stay young for a long, long time.”
Richmond resident Boydennia J. Cox remembers asking her mother when she was going to celebrate her birthday when there was no Feb. 29.
“I guess I was about 7 years old when I really understood that I only have a real birthday every four years,” she said. “I tell everyone that I have two days to celebrate my birthday when it’s not leap year. Twenty-eight plus one equals 29!”
Cox especially likes it when someone asks her how old she is.
“Other than being able to tell people that I am only 12 years old and to see their expression is funny, I still age just like everyone else.”
Her most adored leap year birthday gift came on her 40th and was from her husband.
“He sent me 40 roses of all colors and various stages of blooming in a big beautiful basket and the sweetest card ever that said, ‘Looking forward to sending 80.’”
Leap year only occurs once every four years and fall in the same years as America’s presidential election and the Summer Olympics, according to information from leapyearbaby.com.
Julius Caesar first created leap year in 46 B.C. so the calendar year would match the solar year. The solar year, or the amount of time it takes the Earth to travel around the Sun, is about 365.2422 days. The extra .2422 creates an entire extra day every four years.
Some 4 million people celebrate leap day birthday every four years and many more celebrate for many other reasons.
The Honor Society of Leap Year Day Babies, founded in 1997, has more than 6,000 members from all over the world.
Their Web site, www.leapyearday.com, is devoted to “Leap Year Day” education, advocacy and celebration.
Leap year low down:
• When: Every year divisible by four is a leap year, when a 29th day is added to February. There are a few exceptions; not every year divisible by 100 is a leap year, unless that year is also divisible by 400. So, 2000 was a leap year, but 2100 will not be a leap year.
• Why: An extra day every four years is needed to align the calendar with the true solar year, which is 365.2422 days long. Without leap years, the calendar would drift 24 days ahead of the normal seasons after 100 years.
• Odds: The chances of being born on Feb. 29 are 1 in 1,461. Approximately 200,000 Americans are “Leapers.”
• Famous Leapers: Bandleader Jimmy Dorsey (born 1904), singer Dinah Shore (1916), Italian actor Antonio Sabato Jr. (1972), rapper Ja Rule (1976), “Law & Order” star Dennis Farina (1944).
• Gatherings: All leap year babies and anniversary couples are invited to the traditional festival this weekend at Anthony, Texas, which calls itself the “Leap Year Capital of the World.”
• Only 1 in 1,461 babies around the world are born on that once-every-four-years calendar quirk, Feb. 29 — Leap Year Day.
Sources: Timeanddate.com, Honor Society of Leap Year Day Babies
Local News
Leap year babies: Today is the REAL day
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Judge weighs constitutionality of legislative redistricting
Kentucky’s deadline for filing to run for legislative seats was in flux on Monday because a judge did not immediately rule on a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of newly redrawn district boundaries.
Franklin County Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd said he expects to enter a ruling in the case by mid-week.
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Couple recovering from injuries suffered in weekend house fire
A couple was hospitalized after their home was set ablaze Sunday by a spark from a cigar, according to a county fire official.
County Fire Chief Jim Cox said the city and county fire departments were called to the home at 111 Concord Road in the early afternoon. Waco Volunteer Fire Department and the Richmond Fire Department also responded.
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EKU closes dining room at Arlington Clubhouse
A Richmond country club is no longer offering dining to members, but remains available for catered events and will be open on certain holidays.
Arlington Country Club, which has been a staple of Eastern Kentucky University for the past 40 years, laid off all dining staff late last week, according to Tom Coffey of the EKU Foundation.
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Standoff at Super 8 Motel ends peacefully
A bizarre drug-fueled standoff at the Richmond Super 8 Motel ended peacefully with no one hurt, including a child who was in the room with a man that police found wielding two knives.
About 1:53 a.m. Friday, police received a call about a man who was threatening someone with a knife at the motel on North Keeneland Drive, according to Richmond Police Chief Larry Brock.
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Trial for couple accused of human trafficking delayed
The trial for a Berea couple accused of human trafficking involving their daughters has been delayed.
Despite Monday morning television reports that the trial was beginning Monday, it was postponed because the attorneys are not ready to try the case.
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Richmond man charged with child porn possession
(Editor’s note: The following story contains graphic information some readers may find offensive.)
A Richmond man has been arrested for possession of child pornography as a result of a nearly one-year investigation by local police.
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Noted author to deliver keynote address for Black History Month
Almost a year ago, Arnold Rampersad stood in the East Room of the White House as he was presented the National Humanities Medal by President Barack Obama.
On Thursday, Feb. 16, the noted author will stand in O’Donnell Hall of Eastern Kentucky University’s Student Success Building to deliver the keynote address for the university’s Black History Month observance. Rampersad’s visit is also part of Eastern’s year-long Chautauqua lecture series, and the title of his talk, “Black History: The Challenge of Living with Others,” coincides with this year’s Chautauqua theme, “Living with Others: Challenges and Promises.” -
Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity of Madison and Clark Counties, which has built 160 homes for people in need since 1992, is seeking applicants for partner families, according to Judy Flavell, executive director of the organization.
“We really need applicants right now,” Flavell said. “More people can qualify for Habitat homes than people realize.”
Eligible applicants must have lived in Madison or Clark counties for at least one year, have a stable income, be able to pay a modest monthly mortgage and be able to demonstrate that their current housing is overcrowded, physically substandard, too expensive, unsafe, or they are living in subsidized housing, according to Habitat.
For more information about eligibility, or to apply, call Habitat for Humanity at 625-9208 or visit its office at 1417 East Main Street in Richmond. Visit online at habitatmadisonclark.org. -
Occupational therapy dept. at EKU offers program for adults with memory loss
For local adults who are experiencing memory loss related to dementia or Alzheimer’s, the Department of Occupational Therapy at Eastern Kentucky University has provided “The Place to Be” for the past two decades.
The department will again sponsor the free eight-week program on Thursdays and Fridays, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., beginning Feb. 9. Participants can attend Thursday and/or Friday. Applications still are being accepted (call 893-0653) for the free service, which is offered in Room 100 of the Dizney Building on EKU’s campus. -
Bible Belt towns in state consider going ‘wet’
In this Appalachian college town where socially conservative views are bedrocks of life, some people want to do what was once unthinkable: legalize liquor sales.
Supporters say passing the measure in Tuesday’s special election in Barbourville would tap a new revenue source in a place where hundreds of jobs are evaporating as one plant shuts down and another cuts its workforce in half. But from the pulpits to the courthouse square, opponents have been pressing their case that uncorking liquor sales would irreparably harm the town of about 3,200. - More Local News Headlines
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