Born on the Fourth of July – in 1913: Local Man Turns the Big 1-0-0

Written by Kyle Lundberg.

He may be turning 100 years old, but Jack Briscoe isn’t that surprised. 

“It feels like I’m old,” he said, “but most of my life, I’ve been in good health.” 

Briscoe was born in Memphis, Tex. on Independence Day, 1913 (the same year as Rosa Parks and Richard Nixon), but grew up on a homestead in Southeast Montana with his parents and five brothers. 

He and his younger brother, Gordon, are the only siblings still alive. His mother lived to be more than 100 too. 

Their family lived through the depression, a time that Briscoe calls “horrible.” 

“Economically, it was a very dry depression,” he said. “The little town in Montana where we went to school was in Ingemar, and Ingemar is no longer there. It’s just flatland now.” 

After joining the Civilian Conservation Corps, he enlisted in the Navy in 1934. 

He served mostly at sea as a warrant officer, sailing on the USS Louisville from 1934-40. During his travels, he met his future wife, Dorothy, in Australia in 1937. They married soon after. They had two kids, Robin Luby, of La Jolla, and Jacqueline Caldwell, of Ramona. The family was stationed in Hawaii and Tennessee before settling in San Diego. 

Luby said the most difficult thing about growing up with a military dad was the time he spent away from home. 

“He was a lot of fun,” she said, “but he was gone a lot, too. It was very hard.” 

Briscoe is one of the only living people to have served in WWII, the Korean War and Vietnam (he moved the French Foreign Legion out of Vietnam on the USS Tortuga). 

He knew early on that San Diego was the place he wanted to settle down. 

“I got to San Diego and I said, ‘this is the most wonderful place I was ever at. When I retire, wherever I’m at, I’m coming to San Diego.’ And I did.” 

After leaving the military, Briscoe worked as a mail carrier, delivering letters up Pasadena Street in La Mesa. He then worked as an independent salesman for Fuller Brush. He worked part time for the company until 2003. 

These days, Briscoe passes the time in his small apartment at Grossmont Gardens in La Mesa (his wife passed away in 2008 at the age of 89). He has a cell phone, and takes a daily exercise class in order to stay in shape. He walks — not for long periods, but there isn’t a wheelchair, walker or cane in sight. His daughters are both close by, and visit often. 

They will throw him a birthday party on July 4 at the Poway Historical Society Museum, where there will be an exhibit of photos and
memorabilia from his life, faded memories of a life lived long and well. 

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, one in every 6,000 people will live to be a 
centenarian. 50 years ago, that number was one in every 67,000. 

He has a reputation as a practical joker, a long-time passion for square dancing and an outgoing nature. But aside from doing things that make him happy, Briscoe said he doesn’t have any timeless secrets for living a long and healthy life, other than being thankful for his good genes. 

“You have to have good health,” he said. “Your body gets older every day, and so you need to have the genes to combat old age. Our mother lived to be 103, so I’ve got a while to go.” 

His daughter, Luby, has a different opinion. 

“As far as I’m concerned, it’s not just the genes,” she said. “It’s a combination of that and attitude. He’s always been very open with people, and he loves to get around and tell jokes and have a lot of fun with everybody. He’s not one to hold back.”