JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK TO CELEBRATE TWENTYNINE PALMS’ WOMAN’S 100TH BIRTHDAY TODAY

Joshua Tree National Park will help a long-time Twentynine Palms woman celebrate her 100th birthday today. Susan Luckie Reilly was born in 1916, the same year the National Park Service was founded. Reilly is the daughter of Dr. James Luckie, one of the original pioneers of Twentynine Palms, who encouraged many World War I veterans to settle in Twentynine Palms. Reilly became a seasonal ranger and naturalist for Joshua Tree National Monument in 1965. She was also a co-founder of the Morongo Basin Conservation Association. In 2004, Reilly received the Minerva Hoyt Award, which is awarded by the Joshua Tree National Park Association for achievements in desert conservation. She was also honored by Congressman Paul Cook in 2013 as a Woman of Distinction. The public is invited to attend a birthday party in honor of Susan Luckie Reilly’s 100th birthday and the National Park Service’s centennial. The festivities will be held today, Wednesday, June 22, from 3 to 5 p.m. at the park’s Oasis of Mara Visitor Center in Twentynine Palms.