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Born in 1908 at Fulton-Union, Ark., Bessie has lived a long, healthy and productive life. She survived the depression and the 1918 flu epidemic. She lived on a farm in Arkansas and at 10 years old she took care of the entire family that was sick with the killer flu. She had two brothers and three sisters. Many of her neighbors died and all of her family was disabled in bed.

In 1935 Bessie married Homer Webb and they had one son, Bill. She was married for 50 years. They moved from Arkansas to Taft in 1941. Her husband worked for Standard Oil. Bessie also found a job as dispatcher with Standard. In the 50s she also worked as a seamstress in a shirt factory in Taft. In 1963 Homer continued to work for Standard and they bought a house in Bakersfield and Bessie took care of her grand kids.

Bessie has lived in southwest Bakersfield for the last 45 years and has resided at Glenwood Gardens for the last two years.