Ask Dr. Wright Spears just about any question, and you're bound to get a laugh and smile. As the 99-year-old slowly made his way to a voting booth at the Senior Resource Center Thursday morning, his eyes twinkled when asked a question he probably gets all the time.

How does it feel to have your 100th birthday coming up?

"It beats not having it come up," he joked.

And that about sums Spears up. Friendly, happy and overwhelming thankful, Spears is the kind of guy who's easy to like — and deeply respect. His 100th birthday celebration, taking place from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. this Sunday at Lake Junaluska's Lambuth Inn, won't just be a party in honor of his century of life, but of all he's accomplished in these 100 years. As a Methodist minister, president of Columbia College and later as one of the founders of Lake Junaluska's Memory Walk, he's always tried to tackle “poverty, malice and war,” he said.

For the rest of the story, click here or pick up a copy of The Mountaineer from Friday, Oct. 20.