Some birthday celebrations become memorable because they hold special significance for a community or a region. One of these events occurred recently in Leitchfield, Kentucky.
The arrival of February 23, 2016 marked a significant occurrence for the town. On that day, three surviving quadruplets turned 75 years old. The sisters, Beulah, Martine and Mildred, brought acclaim to the residents of their area when they arrived in the world in 1941. Together with their brother John, they became local celebrities because the birth of multiple babies from a single pregnancy rarely resulted in the survival of all of the babies in good health. The thriving Lashley quadruplets brought cheer to their parents and neighbors.
Sadly, John passed away from congestive heart failure at the age of 50. However, in 2016, Leitchfield marked the birthday of the three surviving members of the famous quadruplets.
The birth of the children in 1941 attracted considerable interest and community support. The Carnation Milk company, a popular national milk supplier, even constructed a home for the Lashley family in Leitchfield. The structure still stands along a roadway that the town named “Lashley Quad Road” in honor of the quadruplets.
In 1941, the arrival of quadruplets proved so rare that the Lashley babies became a tourist attraction of sorts. Visitors would pay a quarter simply to see the toddlers in Leitchfield. Today, with enhanced medical technologies significantly improving the survival rates of infants born prematurely, most Americans have become accustomed to larger numbers of children arriving during a pregnancy. In 1997, the world celebrated the birth of healthy septuplets, for instance.
Mildred Lashley reflected with happiness on her life during the past decades. She described it as “wonderful” during an interview with a local broadcaster. She also expressed her joy that at the age of 75, she still has surviving siblings.