Nursing homes are curious places. The older people who reside in them are full of useful stories because they have lived a long time. But it can be difficult pulling valuable information out of them.

Looking for people who have lived long enough to remember Pearl Harbor, I visited a nursing home in Southgate.

Walking the hallways with the nursing home’s director, I met a lot of interesting people. Some thought I was somebody they knew from a long time ago while others wanted only to talk about specific dates like their birthday or the Kennedy assassination. And there were a few who had incredibly vivid memories of an event that happened 70 years ago.

One tiny woman who was born in 1930 remembers a bulletin interrupting a radio program she was listening to with a friend. She not only remembered what she was doing, this woman remembered the address and location of her parent’s home in Detroit on Omaha Street. It wasn’t that her mind was sharp. The director said she can remember much more about the past than the present.

The most impressive recollection came from an 86 year-old woman named Helen who could remember the general feeling of fear that surrounded her Detroit community after news of the attacks. It was clear that her mind was still very sharp.

I had never been to a nursing home before my visit yesterday. I’m glad the opportunity came up. It gave me a chance to talk about issues and events I wouldn’t have thought of on my own. And to meet a woman named Mary who will turn 105 on January 1.