Four generations of Millstines -- Herman H, seated, with son Herman W, grandson Mark, and great-grandson Erik -- celebrated Herman H.’s 103rd birthday this past weekend.

Herman Millstine recalls skateboarding as a youth.

"We'd get a flat piece of wood, and then take the wheels from an old skate and attach them, and there we were. Skateboarders"

Skateboarding over 90 years ago, growing up constantly busy, always trying something new. Volumes of memories tell the life story of Herman, who turned 103 on March 28, with relatives and residents at Marian Center in Ross joining in to celebrate not only his birthday, but also a proclamation signed by Bellevue Mayor George Doscher. It reads, in part, "Whereas Mr. Millstine is the Mayor of Marian Hall, where he has resided for the past eight years and where he serves as an altar boy at the Hall, the Borough of Bellevue would like to name Mr. Millstine as Mayor of Bellevue for the Day."

One of six brothers and a sister, Herman has been a lifelong resident of Pittsburgh, graduating from Peabody High School in 1925 and then attending Carnegie Tech, the Art Institute and the Washington School for Art, learning skills that would prepare him for work in the printing industry, where he worked on ordinary assignments as well as on elaborate designs that included the intaglio work on Nationalist China's currency.

Herman said that he has no secret to his longevity and his physical fitness, but he has a somewhat pessimistic assessment of some of today's young people.

"Too many of them are couch potatoes. When I was a kid, we played outdoor games made up with anything we could find. And we walked. We walked a lot," he said, adding, "And I never smoked. I liked a beer or a glass of wine, but I never smoked."

Asked how he maintains his sharpness of mind, he answers simply, "I use it every day. I read everything that I can." He also keeps abreast of lifelong interests that include biology, zoology, astronomy and botany.

Herman was featured on NBC's centenarian feature hosted by Willard Scott, but he didn't seem to be too excited about all of the attention.

"I don't see what the big fuss is all about," Herman said. "People got all excited when I turned 100 a few years ago. It's just my birthday!”