Bill Schroek and a deck of cards

William R. Schroeck is celebrating his 22nd birthday today.

That hardly makes someone who’s just reached adulthood. In fact,it’s been quite along time since he’s been in school.

Actually, he’s 88 years old. It’s just that his birthdays are of the variety that only come around every fourth year.

THAT’S because Schrceck, who lives at Highland Manor in New Ulm, is one of those people who happened to have been born on leap year. He was born on Feb. 29, 1888 to be exact.

Of course, he points out, he does celebrate his birthday during those other years. Usually, he does the celebrating on Feb.28.But for three years out of every four, it just isn’t the same.

“They congratulate me,” he says, “but I haven’t got no birthday.”

A NATIVE of New Ulm, he spent a number of years working at the old Eagle Roller Mill; a mishap on the job there left him with three fingers partially amputated.

He remembers one particular leap year when a big party was thrown for all the leap year birthday people in town.

For his leap year birthday today, he says, he hopes to spend it with relatives. His daughter lives in town, and, while nothing was certain as of Saturday, he was hoping his son could be able to bring his family down from their home in Minneapolis.

HIS LACK of birthdays, meanwhile, has never really bothered him too much. There were a few bothersome times when he was a child though, he notes.”When you’re a kid, you know,” he relates, “you’re kind of left out when you don’t have a birthday.”

New Ulm Daily Journal

Feb. 29, 1976