101 and still happy-go-lucky

At 101 years old, Rulon Swenson is still witty and still playing his harmonica. When a reporter wants to ask him some questions, he says he doesn't know any answers.

If you asked his age Tuesday, he answered 36,389 days.

And he attributes his longevity to a positive mental attitude and "all these wonderful people" sitting with him in the shade of a friend's backyard.

Together, they are the Happy Go Luckies, a harmonica band of 25 to 28 senior citizens who practice every Wednesday at the 10th East Senior Center. When they perform, as they will Sept. 21 at The Wentworth on 100 South at 3 p.m., they have matching T-shirts.

And Swenson is their fearless leader, they say.

In Swenson's 101-year memory, he can picture Salt Lake City with no cars. Everything, including the fire department, utilized good old-fashioned horse power. He remembers the time there was a fire and as firefighters went tearing down 200 East, they collided with a trolley, killing one of the horses.

He took his first airplane ride at the Salt Lake airport in a World War I fighter plane piloted by "Tailspin" Tommy Thompson.

Swenson and a friend paid $2.50 each for a ride and piled into the back seat of the plane for some loop-the-loops and a tailspin over Salt Lake City.

Sounds scary for the early days of flight.

"It was fun," Swenson says. "And there were no seat belts."

Swenson is all about fun, even when he got real sick and experienced what is known as instant death, said Lynne Whitt, Swenson's daughter.

Swenson had three such experiences at the hospital and was outfitted with a pacemaker. But each time he awoke, he had a joke for the nurses.

"The nurses loved him," Whitt said.

Here's a taste of Swenson's fare:

"I went to the doctor for a physical, and afterward I asked him how I'm standing, and the doctor said, 'That's what puzzles me."'

"I told the doctor that my hand shakes a lot and he asked if I drank much. And I said, 'No, I mostly spill."'

Swenson owns about 10 harmonicas, including one that's about 1 1/2 inches long. He plays the tiny harmonica and taps his foot to the beat.

Then, he said he swallowed the harmonica once and now when he goes to the bathroom he can hear the sound of music.

He just doesn't quit.

Whitt is glad. She's his youngest and only surviving child. She plays harmonica with the Happy Go Luckies, too. She sees him at least once a day at his South Salt Lake home and drives him everywhere now.

He quit driving about 18 months ago but tries to be as independent as possible.

"He cooks the best roast I've ever tasted," she said.

And he cooks on the harmonica, too. He used to buy a harmonica for 35 cents when it was called a mouth organ.

And on Tuesday, if you walked up to the house where his party was held, you could hear a chorus of 16 harmonicas playing "Happy Birthday."

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E-mail: jdougherty@desnews.com