Evans man throws bash to celebrate his 100th birthday

Chung Fu Liu recently celebrated a milestone birthday in style.

The resident of Morningside Assisted Living turned 100 on Tuesday and threw a big party - the first time he's celebrated his birthday in years.

"He would never let us celebrate his birthday," said Lou Eady, a program services director for the assisted living facility in Evans. "He's been here 4 1/2 years. He said, 'When I turn 100, I'll throw a party and everyone is invited.'"

Liu made good on his promise. He flew in family from across the country to join in the catered dinner and festivities. Most of Liu's three children, seven grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren attended the party.

Liu's granddaughter, Millie Liu, said she knows her grandfather to be somewhat like James Bond - he's traveled to exotic places and was always surrounded by beautiful people.

"Just like James Bond, he seemed to charm every single person that he came across," Liu's granddaughter said during a speech in his honor.

A retired businessman, Liu moved to the United States from China in 1939.

"I came to get my children to school, universities," Liu said, adding that one of his sons attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Liu's daughter picks him up for daily trips to Barnes and Noble, where he enjoys reading The New York Times. He walks every day, watches what he eats and enjoys daily afternoon naps.

He can think of one reason for his longevity.

"I thank God for the blessing that I have lived so long," Liu said after the room full of family and friends sang Happy Birthday.

Eady said despite Liu's reluctance to celebrate his own birthday, he enjoys celebrating birthdays of his fellow Morningside residents, often by secretly buying them a cake.

"He's always thinking of others," said Liu's grandson Robert Cheng, of Atlanta, between taking photos of his grandfather throughout the evening.

Millie Liu said she believes three things contribute to her grandfather's longevity: fun, focus of mind, body and soul, and friends and family. She said Liu has always been dedicated to his family, very disciplined, focused, enjoys life to the fullest and is always supported by his family and friends, including those at Morningside.

"Really, I believe that brings a really rich and full life to a person," Millie Liu said, "and what has brought so much to my grandfather in his last 100 years."

LONG LIFE

- On Chung Fu Liu's 18th birthday the last Rolls Royce Silver Ghost made was sold in London

- On his 35th birthday Hitler took command of the German army

- On his 65th birthday A Clockwork Orange opened in theaters.

- On his 66th birthday NASA's Apollo Lunar Landing program ended when Apollo 17 splashed into the Pacific Ocean

- On his 72nd birthday Illinois police arrest John Wayne Gacy

- On his 78th birthday Britain agreed to return Hong Kong to China

- On his 92nd birthday President Bill Clinton was impeached

Source: www.history.com