A large group of friends joined Hawkins' family in wishing him well. "You couldn't stir them with a stick," Hawkins said of the crowd.

His daughter, Bonnie Caldwell, pulled out a scrapbook of cards and letters from the event. As the pages flipped they revealed cards from President and Mrs. Bill Clinton, Gov. Mike Huckabee, Willard Scott of NBC and other notables.

"Show her the one from Billy Graham!" Hawkins commanded his daughter, then quickly softened his tone. "There were five preachers (at the party), a county judge, Sen. Stanley Russ and a host of friends, too many to even name."

A century before, on Feb. 26, 1899, Hawkins was born in the "big log cabin."

His grandfather William Brehon Hawkins established the mini-plantation of four log cabins on 160 acres just north of Mount Vernon in 1860. The Hawkins family still has the original homestead papers signed by President James Buchanan.

The largest cabin was 400 square feet. Eight other children were born to M.C. and Janie Hawkins in that tiny house.

Extended relatives would come to visit. Up to 25 people might spend the night at a time.

The Hawkins boys would sometimes stay up until midnight putting visitors' horses in the barn. When they finally got to sleep, it was on a straw bed. He recalls that briars in the straw would stick him and his bunkmates.

Every morning Janie Hawkins prepared 100 biscuits for the crowd gathered in her home. Meat for the group came from the family's hogs, sheep, goats and weathers (castrated goats), Hawkins said.

The farm life rubbed off on young Abe and he decided to pursue that life as well. "I grew cotton, corn. I had a big garden up until a few years ago," he said. "I farmed about 45 years. I made a crop and paid my debts in the fall."

Vera Davis joined Abe Hawkins on the farm when they wed July 12, 1919. The union produced four children, Alvin and Calvin, Bronnie and Bonnie.

Calvin Hawkins lives in Mount Vernon. Bronnie Rose and Bonnie Caldwell live in the Liberty community.

The Depression hit when the Hawkins' sons were small. Hawkins remembers it well.

"In the '30s, I didn't have any money, but neither did anyone else," he began. "A man in Mount Vernon would loan money to people and we'd repay him in the fall."

Hawkins bought some land on the family farm from his brother in 1944 and built the house where he currently lives. That year his wife died, leaving two small daughters for Abe to raise.

Another tragedy occurred in 1947 when Alvin Hawkins died in an automobile accident.

And Hawkins went on farming. Somewhere between all that farming, he found time to work five years for the state in construction, 11 years at the Faulkner County Road Department and 20 years in the Foster Grandparent Program at what is now the Conway Human Development Center.

He also found time to attend Sunday school and church at Mount Nebo Baptist Church for 85 years.

Old age seems to run in Hawkins' genes. His youngest sibling to die was 77. At least one brother and his father almost made it to 100.

One of his daytime helpers credits oatmeal for his longevity, but Hawkins sums up his secret another way, "honesty and hard work."