On April 23rd Sun City Shadow Hills resident Fred Elg will turn 100 YEARS OLD! Fred enthusiastically says that turning 100 feels “good” because, “I have a zest for life!” And what a life it has been!
As an only child born in El Centro, California in 1923, Fred grew up as a typical California boy. He fished for corbina using soft-shelled crabs as bait, surfed on handmade muslin surf boards, skateboarded, built crystal radio sets and listened to country and western music. He was an avid model airplane builder, with one having a five-foot wingspan. This was the start of a lifelong love of airplanes and flying. During high school Fred met Vivian Martin on a blind date.
They married in 1943 at age twenty during three days that Fred had between postings, spending their honeymoon in guest quarters over a garage. They raised a daughter and two sons and were together for 66 years until Vivian’s passing in 2009. Today Fred loves living in Sun City Shadow Hills and being close to his family and his girlfriend Betty.
After high school Fred earned his riveter’s certificate, but with no jobs available, he painted basic trainers at Vuitee Aircraft at night and attended Compton Jr College during the day. He describes his reaction to Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 as, “I was about 19 years old, and I felt a sense of duty. Instead of waiting to be drafted I took initiative to serve in the Navy because of my passion for flying.” Following in his father’s footsteps, Fred joined the Navy in May 1942 in the Navy Air Cadet program, with no pay and no uniform.
He earned a private pilot’s license flying J-3 Cubs at a civilian base in California, then completed his secondary training in Arizona in December 1942, flying Walker UPF-7 biplanes, including aerobatics. Fred was finally able to attend pre-flight training with the 14th battalion in Northern California, where he also received a uniform and was paid! Upon completion, he was posted to Washington Naval Air Station, flying open cockpits in winter, then to the Texas heat, completing instrument training, and flying PBY seaplanes. He got his wings in September 1943. Fred was assigned to Coco Solo Naval Air Station in Panama flying night patrols searching for submarines.
In one close call his PBM was fired upon and damaged by a surfaced submarine. In 1944 Fred was assigned to Hawaii and then, in 1945, to Okinawa. He flew pilot recovery work when bombers ditched after bombing Japanese targets. On one patrol they lost an engine and had to dump fuel and excess weight to make it back to Okinawa. When they did land a crash boat helped bring them in Fred was on patrol when he saw the plume of the A-bomb blast over Nagasaki. He had the points to go home, but with no replacement available he served for another six months.
In 1945 he once gain defied death when both engines of his plane blew up while flying to Shantung, China. When Fred returned home he contemplated staying with the Navy, but ultimately he joined the Reserve until 1956. He owned and flew his own airplane until he could no longer p a s s the physical. In 1959 Fred and Vivian bought a home in the Racquet Club area of Palm Springs and they moved permanently to Palm Springs in 1976.
Fred built and operated convalescent homes and also bought, restored and sold homes in the Palm Springs area. He enjoyed restoring old cars, beginning with a 1949 Hudson that he bought for $800, and has continued this hobby over the years. He still owns his most prized car: a 1996 Cadillac. His family laughs recalling a visit
to Big Bear, Califoria, where children ni a nearby cabin gushed over Fred’s classic car so he alowed them to pretend to drive it, exemplifying his kind heart and the joy he brings to others.
At nearly 100 years of age Fred remains a s active a s possible and looks for the good in the world. Fred believes that having the right attitude, showing grace and forgiving others quickly is his secret to a long, happy life. He described his spirits as being useful and positive, and that his age and his physical body do not define how he feels.
Fred appreciates a saying from author Richard Carlson: “Don’t sweat the small stuff; after al, it’s al small stuff .? He encourages everyone to make an effort every day to keep falling in love with the special people in our lives, as he has. Today he loves living in Sun City Shadow Hills with his girlfriend Betty. He feels blessed by a wonderful life and is excited to tum 100!
