On opening day of The Osborn, Tuesday, April 21, 1908, 12 elderly gentlewomen stepped down from horse-drawn carriages and into a new life, a life that happened because of the vision of one remarkablewoman: Miriam Osborn. Seven years later, the first recorded history of the institution noted, "Every effort has been made to make this institution the finest in the world, and not only a fine institutionbut a real home." Polished by the sands of time, the modern Osborn has sustained that world-class status as one of the nation's premier retirement communities. This volume celebrates those who preserved not so much a way of life but a philosophy of caring and a commitment to provide a real home that has endured for 100 years.