I’ve produced so many tributes to Robert E. Gallagher over the years–TV, radio, and print–that doing so again today would just be piling on. Here’s the short version, on what would have been his 100th birthday.

Bob Gallagher lived the quintessential life of the 20th century American male. He was born in the summer of 1923, and grew up in Pennsylvania coal-mining territory during the Depression. After graduating from high school he got a factory job making war materials, but soon left after being drafted. He served in the U.S. Army in World War II through various European countries, then was set to fight in the Pacific. Two atomic bombs later he was coming home.

He went to college on the G.I. Bill, got a job, got married, had three kids, and built his first home. (Fifty years later: same wife, same home.) He watched his children grow and have children of their own, then retired to spend more time with those grandchildren.

Me? I was one of those grandchildren, and for 23 years I got to know and idolize my grandfather. He lived only a few blocks away, and taught me many lessons about life and work and sports and family. He certainly was an upstanding member of the Greatest Generation, and I’m thankful to have him in my family tree.

We ended up going into the same line of work–schoolteacher–and sort of live the same life too.

I couldn’t think of a better one to emulate.

Cent’anni!