Edna Fellows Christmas has had a lot of experiences in her 103 years. Many of them involve her love of all things Auburn.
A group of family and friends came to celebrate Edna Fellows’ 103rd birthday, which was Saturday, March 5. Edna Earl Christmas, Edna Fellows’ older daughter, said there were several parties to commemorate the event.
Edna Fellows has been an Auburn fan for decades, but she doesn’t remember how she became one. She didn’t attend Auburn because her father wouldn’t let her, so she went to Montevallo instead. She remembers her high school classmates and her younger brothers attending Auburn.
Because it is hard to maneuver a wheelchair in large crowds, Edna Fellows and her daughters have their own game day traditions.
“Edna Earl and I, usually on Friday night, we ride around and see all the tailgaters,” Edna Fellows said. “They do such interesting things.”
On Saturday mornings of home football games, they go to McDonald’s for breakfast and watch all of the orange-and-blue-clad Auburn fans walk toward campus, which is her favorite part of game day, besides winning.
“A good many of them carry dogs,” Edna Fellows said. “I don’t know what they do with them when they get there.”
Then they go home and watch the game on television — the “best of both worlds,” according to Edna Earl.
Merry Christmas Terrer, Edna Fellows’ youngest daughter, lives next door. She said Edna Earl helps make sure their mother attends as many Auburn events as possible.
“Edna Earl really does a good job of seeing about Mother, and they go to just about everything that’s going on,” Terrer said.
Edna Earl said a group of Auburn students once gave her mother a special experience at Momma Goldberg’s.
“(The students) all came and gathered around Mother, and they did the War Eagle yell, and I think they sang a song or so,” Edna Earl said. “She was just so excited about getting to be with the students.”
Auburn football coach Gus Malzahn once signed a football for Edna Fellows after a radio appearance at Bob’s Victory Grille.
“I like Malzahn,” Edna Fellows said. “He’s a good coach.”
Most recently, Edna Fellows got to throw out the first pitch at an Auburn baseball game against Alabama A&M on Tuesday, March 1.
“Each (player) came by and touched Mother’s hand and said, ‘Happy birthday,’” Terrer said.
She also received an autographed ball from the team.
“I think my favorite part was them giving me the ball,” Edna Fellows said. “And being hugged by Aubie.”
Edna Fellows practiced throwing the ball with some neighborhood children beforehand to get used to the ball.
“I had coached girls basketball in high school, but I never had anything to do with baseball,” Edna Fellows said.
Not all of her Auburn memories are so happy, though. The Christmases were there to see the original Toomer’s Oaks be cut down.
“It was like a funeral, watching them take (the trees),” Terrer said.
Edna Fellows wears Auburn gear no matter the season.
“People expect her to show up in Auburn stuff,” Edna Earl said.
Edna Fellows has seen Auburn become more diverse over the years. She has also seen the city grow, and she is concerned about too many high-rises, but there hasn’t been too much change yet.
“I want Auburn to stay as a village,” Edna Fellows said.
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