Connor, family celebrate 100th birthday at KCHS
“Oh look, I believe I know that girl,” said Connor, who smiled as she gazed upon a black-and-white photo of herself as a teenager. “That’s a long time ago.”
But even with the passage of time, the smile and facial features remained the very same for Connor, who turned 100 years old on Monday, June 2.
On the previous Saturday, May 30, more than 70 of her relatives gathered at the Connor Lobby — named for Connor’s eldest son Mike and his family — near the St. Gregory the Great Auditorium at Knoxville Catholic High School.
For hours, they celebrated Connor’s century mark with cake, balloons, a slideshow, a banner and even a serenade.
“This has been a year in the making,” said Christy Watkins, Helen Connor’s youngest daughter, of the party.
The Knoxville Catholic aspect just happened to work out since their previous venue had been booked. But it provided a fitting twist for the birthday girl, a 1945 KCHS graduate whose picture now resides along every other senior portrait in the school lobby.
All six of her children graduated from Catholic, too, as well as 18 of her 19 grandchildren. Then just a couple of weeks ago, the first great-grandchild graduate crossed the stage as part of the class of 2026.
“This just happened to be a God thing, having it here at Connor Lobby at Knoxville Catholic,” Watkins said. “We could not get our normal venue that we usually use for large family gatherings, and one of my good friends who’s the vice president here said we could have it here and that they would set it up. We are so humbled and honored. It’s perfect, because this is where it all began.”
As a teenager, Helen Connor served as a captain for the basketball team — “I was a glory hog,” she quipped — and dreamed of starting a family with the future husband she danced with in Knox Catholic’s first gym on Magnolia Avenue.
The campus shifted to west Knoxville in 2000, but in good times and bad, the Connors remained.
At one point, Helen Connor worked two jobs to ensure her children received a Catholic education. And even when the money was not there, her unwavering dedication served in its place.
“When my sister was about to start high school, she thought, ‘Oh, she’s probably not going to be able to go,’” Watkins recalled. “So the principal there told her, ‘You just have her show up and don’t worry about it. Then when you can pay, we will revisit it.’ He said it was more important that they have that education than the money.”
The family has felt a pull toward the school ever since, while Connor has continued a life built on faith and hard work.
“All six of the kids saw nothing but exemplary faith, work ethic and commitment to family,” Watkins said, wiping away tears as she spoke. “I would see her falling asleep praying. She gave it all to God. Her work ethic has been the biggest example, and we attribute anything we accomplish to her.”
Still, Connor has been to have her fair share of fun too. She is known for her dancing, especially to the tune of Bing Crosby or Perry Como.
Once, she even took down a few relatives in poker after serving up spoonfuls of her famous dressing and chocolate pie at a family Thanksgiving.
“It was so comical that this pillar of faith who exudes dignity and class was actually a little card shark, too,” Watkins said.
Then again, it was just another turn in a life that had seen plenty of those already.
In her 100 years, Connor has lived through countless events: The Great Depression, World War II, the Civil Rights movement, the invention of the atomic bomb, the moon landing, the creation of the internet, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the 9/11 attacks and the COVID-19 pandemic, to name a few.
Her life has stretched through 52 Olympic Games and 17 presidents. Also, she has been alive for every Tennessee football national title, as well as the entire lifespan of the late Pat Summitt, who was born when Connor was already 26 years old.
Like Summitt, Connor has shown a kindness and determination that have transcended generations.
“She’s very outgoing, does not meet a stranger,” Watkins said. “And when she could drive, she would be at everything."
Lately, things may have slowed down a bit for Connor. But when asked how it feels to be 100, she grinned and offered three words to summarize her century of memories: “It feels wonderful.”
