At the age of 100, Mr. Charley Pritchett still regularly goes to college, swims weekly and exercises his brain to maintain mental clarity and physical endurance for many years.
Every year at this time, Charley Pritchett yearns to expand his knowledge, so he continues to register for courses at the University of West Florida, located right next to the Azalea Trace nursing home where he lives. Mr. Pritchett said he enjoyed studying and interacting with young students, and his classmates did not care that the person sitting next to him was 100 years old.
Mr. Pritchett was born and raised in Iowa. He joined the US Navy as a sailor in 1944, near the end of World War II, and served as a radio operator on voyages throughout the Pacific. After being discharged from the army in 1946, he worked in the radio industry, collaborating with the St. Louis Cardinals, held jobs as an air traffic controller, magazine publisher and college professor, according to Fox News.
Mr. Pritchett's educational journey began after he officially retired and decided to move to Pensacola, Florida, with his late wife, Sheila. Here, when they learned that the state had a policy of free university tuition for residents aged 60 and over, the couple registered to participate. To date, the man has completed 51 courses and considers learning a core part of helping him live a long life.
Always be humble
To maintain optimism and clarity at the age of 100, humility is his top principle. "I'm twice the age of the teachers there," Mr. Pritchett said, saying he was always careful not to let that make him arrogant, much less show off his past teaching at the University of Cincinnati and Xavier University, Ohio.
He talked about six courses he took with the same political science lecturer whom he admired for his skillful way of leading students. That's why, in discussions, Mr. Pritchett never dominated but always let his classmates take the initiative. He believes that he is just a visiting guest, and the young people are the ones who need grades, so let them shine.
Ready to learn from zero
Among the courses he has taken, Mr. Pritchett most enjoyed the classes he registered with his late wife, typically the Women in the Muslim World class, which helped them eliminate many old prejudices. His wife, Sheila, was a talented former advertising professional and had the same passion for learning until her death from dementia complications 3 years ago.
Suppressing his grief, Mr. Pritchett continued his learning journey. Thanks to his previous experience as a sports broadcaster, he was completely fascinated by the 13-week Sports Sociology course. Not only in the classroom, he is always looking for new spaces to be a "rookie". At the nursing home, he has been practicing billiards for a few months now and happily admits that he is the worst player in the group.
Actively build community
"I'm just enjoying life right now," Mr. Pritchett shared. For her, that means opening up and connecting with those around her.
She has a 58-year-old friend with many things in common to laugh and joke with, and at the same time appreciates the relationships with professors and coaches at the university. At the nursing home, he also founded his own band. Buying a trumpet for $25 at a pawn shop, he reviewed his youth skills and recruited 7 members. They once held successful performances but their activities gradually stopped.
"Unfortunately and understandably, if we don't add new members, they will gradually fall away due to old age," he said sadly. The Covid-19 pandemic and a broken tooth incident while playing the trumpet forced him to pause, but he still hopes to reunite the band in the future.
Maintain exercise habits
Taking advantage of being right next to the university campus, Mr. Pritchett often uses the sports facilities here. "There are countless facilities available here, which are wonderful. For example, I often go to the swimming pool to do aerobics," he said.
Regularly twice a week, for 45 minutes each session, he goes to the swimming pool to practice and always looks forward to swimming time.
Live each day to the fullest
"In fact, I'm 100 years old," Mr. Pritchett said. He knew he had a genetic advantage when his mother lived to be 101 years old, his grandfather was 101 years old and his aunt died at 103 years old. However, he is still very realistic: "How many more years do I have left to live? One or two years? I don't know. I simply enjoy every present moment."
Every time he suddenly thinks about death, he thinks to himself: "It's true that I'm getting very close to death, but everyone doesn't."
Instead of worrying, he chose to live as fully as possible. "The important thing is to live well every day. I'm happy with what I do. Even though I'm always busy, I enjoy it and hope to have a few more years ahead," Mr. Pritchett shared.
