The oldest and youngest delegates to the Democratic National Convention were born 80 years apart, but they say the thrill of participating in the political process is timeless.

Sam Gray of Marion, Iowa, turns 18 next month. On the other side of life, there's Elzena Johnson of Terry, Miss. She turns 98 on September 25.

Johnson is participating in her first convention after a lifetime of being a mother, a champion swimmer in the senior Olympics into her 80s and a Terry board alderman.

Johnson voted in her first presidential election in 1936, casting a ballot for Franklin D. Roosevelt. This, of course, will be Gray's first presidential election.