As a newcomer to America, 19-year-old Svea Sandberg, from Sweden, was overwhelmed by the wealth of possibilities suddenly available to her. The country was young, and fortunes could be made by anyone with a quick mind and a sense of adventure. Svea found a job working on the railroads that were beginning to criss-cross the landscape in 1929, and that career track eventually led her to Chicago, where she met her husband Cliff. They met in a ballroom filled with music and dancing, alive with the sparkle of lights, jewelry, and evening gowns. "We danced and danced," remembers Svea, smiling brightly.

Today, at the age of 100, Svea still sparkles. And her grandson has followed the trail she blazed — he works for Amtrak! Perhaps it's no coincidence that she feels so at home with Providence Rehabilitation of South Holland, where from the window of her apartment she can watch the trains and remember a lifetime of adventures.