‘A great life’: La Jollan Hubert Sturtevant celebrates 100th birthday with his ‘really good friends’

You wouldn’t necessarily know it from his self-deprecating jokes, but La Jolla resident Hubert Sturtevant is a bit of a social butterfly, often considered the life of the party at the Ivy Park at La Jolla senior-living facility.

Sturtevant, affectionately known as “Stutz” after the short-lived luxury car brand of the same name, celebrated his 100th birthday last month with his family and residential community.

A military man and an aerospace engineer by trade, Sturtevant credits his longevity to taking things “one day at a time.”

He was born in Washington, D.C., and moved to Milwaukee with his family when he was 6 months old. He said he appreciated that his parents gave him space to grow socially.

“My parents always tried to settle where there were other children around so I would have friends to play with, so it was a good time growing up,” he said.

That social connection continued through his education, encouraging him to keep going. He went to college in Maryland “and did pretty well academically; I’m not sure how,” he said with a laugh. “I graduated at or near the top of my class.”

From there, he attended the Naval Academy. After graduating in 1944, he served for several years as a gunnery officer on the USS Burton Island in the Arctic Circle.

“We went around Alaska three or four times in my life,” he said.

He befriended some of the people who lived there, which was a “unique experience” and a “great time in my life,” he said.

Sturtevant is honored with a plaque for his military service at La Jolla’s Mount Soledad National Veterans Memorial.

In the 1950s, he resigned from active service to enter a career in engineering and worked on the SM-65 Atlas rocket program.

According to Ivy Park representatives, the SM-65 was the first operational intercontinental ballistic missile developed by the United States and the first member of the Atlas rocket family. It was built for the Air Force by the Convair Division of General Dynamics at an assembly plant in Kearny Mesa.

Sturtevant said he was drawn to engineering “to produce things that people can use.”

Though his work brought him to San Diego, a chance meeting with a woman named Ellen kept him here.

“Her mother seemed to approve of me, so we developed a good relationship,” Sturtevant said with a laugh.

He and Ellen soon married and had seven children together. She died of a brain tumor in 2012.

“She was a very loving person and always thought of others before herself,” Sturtevant said.

“I also have a lot of friends,” he added, “so it’s still a great life.”

Those friends seem to appreciate “Stutz’s” presence in the community. According to a statement from the care team at Ivy Park, “He’s become a beloved part of our community. He has made some really good friends here and loves coming to meals with all the guys. He has a great smile, and his humor always leaves people laughing.”

The statement added that he’s a “a witty storyteller” and “loves to tell stories about his travels.”

“His humor, wisdom and kindness lift the spirits of both residents and staff,” the statement said.