SAIT's oldest alumnus Clarence Hollingworth marks 106th birthday

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One of Calgary’s oldest residents marked another trip around the sun on Wednesday.

When Clarence Hollingworth was just six years old in 1921, he watched as the cornerstone was laid for SAIT’s Heritage Hall.

In 1933, he would enrol as a student at the school, which was then called the Provincial Institute of Technology and Art.

And 31 years after seeing the cornerstone laid, he would be hired as an instructor in the electrical department, where he worked for 28 years.

Hollingworth has seen a lot in his 106 years. In his 20s, he flew planes around Calgary. He also served in the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War, working on submarines.

He’s now one of a handful of people who lived during both the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918 and now the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020.

While lists of oldest living people are difficult to verify, Hollingworth appears to be the second-oldest man currently living in Alberta and the 12th oldest man in Canada, according to at least one online source.

Hollingworth was granted an honorary science degree in 2015, shortly after his 100th birthday.

In honour of his 103rd birthday, SAIT created the Clarence Hollingworth Scholarship to help electrical students.

Given current health restrictions, Hollingworth’s birthday celebration was physically distant. His special day was marked with some fanfare provided by the Calgary Fire Department, who swung by his home at AgeCare Glenmore.

— With files from Alanna Smith