GREAT FALLS - According to the BBC [bbc.com] the chance of someone in the world being born on leap year is 1/1461, less than 1 percent. One Great Falls man is a part of that minute percentage.
Bruce Scribner, now age 60, is a “leaper” - a person born whose birthday falls on leap-year. As he and his family celebrated his sixtieth birthday Saturday, his mother Ruth reflected on the birth of her son 6 decades ago.
“It was a very long day, all night, ” Ruth Scribner said.
Ruth said she never expected a leap year baby, as her son was due in January. She jokingly remarked that her son chose to come out late. “We were in the hospital a long time and then he chooses to be born on leap year day,” Ruth Scribner said.
While many leapers might feel cheated by the irregular birthday, Ruth said her son never seemed to mind. “I don’t think he felt cheated he didn't tell me if he did,” Ruth Scribner said.
In fact, Bruce used the uncommon date of birth to his advantage by taking twice as long to celebrate and counting only a quarter of his age in years.
Now Bruce jokes he’s only 15 years old. “15 or 60, take your pick”, Bruce Scribner said.
The Scribners feel lucky to have a leaper in their lineage, since leap year babies like Bruce are so rare.
“I guess it's a good thing...I don’t know very many people [born on leap year]. There’s a few of us out there,” Bruce Scribner said.
