A photographer recently visited Laramie for a very special project.

Danny Goldfield is travelling across the country to photograph people who have lived to 100 years of age or older. When his project is complete, Goldfield will have photographed one woman and one man from each of the 50 states.

In all, his work will represent over 10,000 years of life experiences, inspiring the title of the project “To Live 10,000 Years.”

Maybe the project can help facilitate and encourage people to reach out and form relationships with older people.

It is this series that brought Goldfield to Laramie, Wyo.

After traveling to 11 states so far, Goldfield’s 21st centenarian to participate in the project is Harry Hildalgo, who lives at the Laramie Care Center.

Hildago was originally born in Mexico and traveled to the United State as a young man. He worked as a laborer in Nebraska before settling in Wyoming in the 1940’s. He found work at the cement plant in Laramie, and made a 30 year career of his time there.

At 102 years old, Hildago is an energetic man who rejoices in his family’s successes. Hildago is a father to two, grandfather to three, and a great-grandfather to four. His face absolutely beams as he talks about his grandson’s successes.

While Hildago is frequently visited by family and friends, Goldfield says unfortunately that is not the case for much of the country’s aging population. Goldfield says that he hopes his work may inspire people to volunteer and visit with the older members of the community.

“Just sitting with an older person means so much to them, and spending time with them on a regular basis—or even just to come once—I think it’s really important that the Laramie community know that there is a need at this center for people to come and visit and engage and try to form relationships with the elders amongst them here,” says Goldfield.

He says people should not feel pressured when spending time with the older population. Instead simple things like reading a magazine or having a nice conversation can be the brightest part of a person’s day.

Goldfield says his time working on “To Live 10,000 Years” has reinforced his knowledge that age is only one factor in a person’s life. While photographing centenarians, Goldfield says he has truly connected with the people involved in the project.

To learn more about the series, visit www.tolive10000years.com.

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