Ed Palkot was born in 1913 and recently celebrated 100 years of life on this mortal coil. Think about that for a moment. The year he was born, Woodrow Wilson succeeded William Howard Taft as president, Igor Stravinsky’s score for the ballet The Rite of Spring debuted, stainless steel was invented, construction on the Panama Canal was completed and the Ford Motor Company introduced the first moving assembly line. Over time, Mr. Palkot has seen his share of wars, lived through 17 presidential administrations and seen Garden City retain its charm as a sleepy burg even as it kept up with the technological advances of the times. Best of all, this Pittsburgh native has been fortunate to retain a spry demeanor that’s resulted in his looking two decades younger than his actual age thanks to a combination of genes, a positive outlook and active lifestyle. Ed Palkot is the poster child for what we’d all like to wind up like should we reach that advanced age and proof that growing old doesn’t necessarily have to be such a daunting prospect.
— Dave Gil de Rubio
