The year was 1921, also known as the Roaring '20s, when jazz filled the air, prohibition shaped culture, and the nation stood on the brink of the Great Depression. The First World War had just ended three years prior.
And on April 8 of that year, in a tiny town along Flathead Lake in Montana, Stanley Clothier was born.
Today, we found Clothier smartly dressed and surrounded by gold balloons marking his age. At 105 years old, he blows out the candles on a cake and makes a wish for "long life and better health."
Clothier came to Santa Barbara from humble beginnings, being raised in a log cabin without electricity or plumbing.
"I've always been so lucky in life that there's no reason to be unhappy," he said.
In 1942, he joined the U.S. Navy after the attack on Pearl Harbor thrust the country into World War II. He became part of a specialized unit working on early drone technology.
"I happened to be in a very interesting squadron," Clothier explained. "We were the first in the United States Navy to have drone aircraft, wooden aircraft, and remote control from a torpedo bomber. And it was all very new. It had a television camera in the nose. It was just one color, green."
He jokes about it now. "So that was it. That's how I saved the world."
Clothier married Lucille, and they started a family, raising three children. He established his own company in the electronics industry. He's also witnessed historical world events like the moon landings and the recent lunar fly-by.
"When I was in pre-flight [training], my roommate was Scott Carpenter, who was one of the original Mercury Seven astronauts," he said. "I followed that program rather closely. It was fun."
Clothier added that he follows current events "closely," and expressed concern for humanity's recent actions.
"I have concern for humanity itself," he mused. "Because with the advances that we're making and the ability to kill each other, we probably might even succeed."
One thing is obvious — Clothier has stayed humble.
"Of course, you remember. You miss the people that you've loved, and you recognize that you're lucky to have continued. You know that the end is coming at some time within the next hundred years," he added with a laugh. "I'm grateful."
