On the warm, sunny Sunday of January 30, Mimi Jaffe turned 100 in the beautiful Topanga orchard of Dr. Ben LaBrot and Karine Tchkarian. Surrounded by generations of family in beautifully decorated surroundings, Mimi left the double digits for the triple digits in style. She celebrated a life of love and public service. In a speech to her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren Mimi said she doesn’t like to look back. “The past is the past and cannot be changed. But we can make a beautiful future. You have to go forward! Our family motto has always been vamos a ver!� Born in 1922, Mimi was married twice. Once to Abram Shapiro, inventor of the 16mm Ampro projectors. Widowed at 43, with three children in college, Mimi went on to finish her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and traveled the world, writing for a local, northside Chicago newspaper. During that time, Mimi was one of the founders of the National Cult Awareness Network and began to specialize in mind control and propaganda studies. Mimi’s second husband, Sidney Jaffe, was a brilliant, successful Chicago business man who championed Mimi’s work. Mimi founded the National Writers’ Network and the Propaganda Research Institute. One never knew whom one would meet in the library she established in her home. One day it would be David Horowitz, another day Eldridge Cleaver. She interfaced with an eclectic group of artists, activists and writers. Mimi Jaffe has seen a lot in the 100 years she has lived. She has given speeches to hundreds of people, tackled untruths, had her white paper on the desk of the first free Hungarian Congress, and brought accountability to corrupted organizations. She has been a champion of freedom. But for Mimi, family has always been the number one value of her life. No matter how involved she was with people, from the Dalai Lama to the White House, Mimi always made her children, grand-children, and great-grandchildren feel that a visit from them was the best thing that could ever happen to her. Her greatest strength lies in her capacity to love and be loved. Point-zero-two percent (.02%) of the population lives to be 100. An orchard was the perfect metaphor in which to celebrate Mimi’s very special and rare birthday. It was a day, a time, a place to harvest the deep, warm, steadfast love of a devoted family. A beautiful day for a beautiful soul. Vamos a ver, Mimi!