Austin, who will become 101 years old on Monday, could set a world record for being the oldest serving mayor, solidifying a claim long made by borough officials and residents.
While there is a record for the youngest mayor - Shane Mack of Castlewood, S.D., at 18 years and 169 days - there is no record for the oldest mayor, said Neil Hayes, a spokesman for Guinness World Records in London.
Hayes said Austin could be entered in the book provided a claim is filed and his age can be verified. A copy of his birth certificate is all that is needed, he said.
Oakdale Council on Tuesday night decided to have the borough secretary fill out the paperwork to make the claim to Guinness.
Council President Ron Gamble hopes Austin will be a world record holder by the time his term expires at the end of the year. If he is, Gamble said he'll want to make as big a deal out of it as the borough had done last year for Austin's 100th birthday.
'I want to give him all the attention we can,' he said. 'We want to treat this old gentleman with class.'
The borough will celebrate Austin's birthday this year with a public concert featuring the Gas House from 8 to 10 p.m. Saturday at the parking lot between the Oakdale Inn and Good Shepherd Church on Noblestown Road. A birthday cake will be served and 'Happy Birthday' will be sung during the concert's intermission around 9 p.m.
Austin, a Democrat, will leave the mayor's office at the end of this year after serving one four-year term. He had no previous political experience when he was first appointed mayor in June 1995 at the age of 94, replacing Charles Madden, who had resigned to run for a council seat. Austin successfully ran for the remaining two years of Madden's term in November 1995.
A native of Virginia, Austin has lived in Oakdale since 1936 and was a railroad worker from 1919 until he retired in 1966. He has been a widower since his wife, Emma, died. He still lives independently and drives his car.
Austin attributed his long life to clean living.
He has beaten the odds for those born in 1900, when life expectancy for a man was 46.3 years and 48.3 years for a woman, according to the National Institute on Aging. That compares with 73.6 years for men and 79.4 years for women in 1997.
According to 1990 Census figures, Pennsylvania ranked 21st based on the percentage of its total population that was age 100 or older with 1,940 centenarians. Figures from the 2000 Census were not available.
Gamble said Austin remains active in borough affairs, stopping in the borough office almost every day, participating in council meetings and swearing in new police officers.
'He's not a 100-year-old mayor sitting at home in a rocking chair being called the mayor,' Gamble said. 'He's very active.'
Brian C. Rittmeyer can be reached at brittmeyer@tribweb.com or at (412) 306-4540.
