Prentice Willis thoroughly enjoyed his 100th birthday party last Tuesday. He joked around with a few longtime friends and family members as he held what just might have been the world's cutest dog — a jet-black Pomeranian puppy named Emerson.

According to the Wings of Gold publication, Willis, who was born on Oct. 27, 1909, is believed to be the oldest living naval aviator.

Willis, who lives in Santa Fe with his son Robert Willis, remembers when he got the overwhelming desire to fly. He was working with a youngster in 1933 in the forests of California when the pair saw an airplane fly overhead.

"I said, 'It must be wonderful to fly one of those airplanes,' " Willis said. "And that little boy said, 'All you have to do is go to Long Beach, Calif., and enroll.' "

Willis didn't waste any time. He applied at the Navy cadet program, then went back to his job in the mountains. He heard nothing for awhile, then received a notice that he had been accepted.

He lived so far in the mountains that by the time he got the letter, the date to respond had passed. He wrote the Navy and explained why he had missed the deadline and told them he would start training as soon as possible, then informed his boss of his plans.

"When I told him I was going into pilot training in the Navy, he said, 'Are you crazy?' " Willis said. "I said, 'I probably am, but I'd just like to learn how to fly."

So he learned. He logged about nine hours of instruction before his instructor cut short one of their lessons, landed the plane and told Willis it was his turn to fly.

"We landed and he just got out of the airplane and he said, 'It's all yours,' " Willis said. "I said, 'What are you doing?' and he said, 'Go ahead and have fun.' "

So Willis "took off and flew around," he said. "There wasn't anything that scared me at all. I felt at the top of the world. That was the best feeling I've ever had in my life."

Willis served four years of active duty for the Navy, but then he was out of a job. A friend told him that American Airlines was a great place for Naval pilots to snag a job, so he did just that and ended up flying DC-3s. Willis said these were the same planes he had flown in the Navy.

He said it takes 10 years to really become an expert.

"It's like trying to learn how to be a doctor," Willis said. "Every little thing must be added to your education." Willis has hit a few birds during his time in the sky and he's had a few scary experiences — but it's all worth it, he said, because he loves to fly.

"On an airplane, I felt like I had wings on my shoulders," Willis said with an animated smile. "It felt like I was flying instead of the airplane."

After Willis served a second tour in the Navy, flying PBY-2s and PBY-3s and training new pilots during World War II, he went back to American Airlines and retired when he was 60. He said he credits his long life to his positive attitude.

"I try to be as happy as I can with whatever happens to me," Willis said. "I try to be nice to people and they're nice back to me." Willis also said he is very fortunate to not have any terminal diseases.

Robert Willis said his dad is in good health. He had a pacemaker put in a year ago, and he recovered remarkably quickly from a nasty fall he took a few months ago.

Willis has outlived both his wives — Julie Ann and Ann — and his son said he's hoping his dad will break a record. "We're ecstatic," Robert Willis said about his feeling about his dad's 100th birthday.

Willis has three children: Suzanna Myers, David Prentice Willis and Robert Emerson Willis. His grandchildren are Angela Mini, Michael Solomon Willis, Penelope Gibbon and Pandora Endicott. His great-grandchildren are Cort Prentice Willis, Everly Elizabeth Willis, Peter Gabrielle Gibbon and Maxwell Hunter Gibbon.

These days, Willis spends his time reading books about history.

"I feel very grateful and humble and my life has been such a joy," Willis said. "I've enjoyed working with the airlines, I've enjoyed flying in the Navy — it's just been a wonderful experience. I thank God that I was fortunate enough to have that experience."

"He's a great man," Robert Willis said. "He's had a great life and I just want to see that he's active and continues to have a great life."

Contact Ana Maria Trujillo at 986-3084 or atrujillo@sfnewmexican.com.