Mary Stevens/Daily Mining Gazette Joe Kirkish reacts to well wishes from the large crowd that assembled at The Bluffs Friday to celebrate the Copper Country icon's 100th birthday.

HOUGHTON — On Friday, nearly one hundred visitors flocked to The Bluffs in Houghton to celebrate local philanthropist, author and mentor Joe Kirkish turning 100.

Kirkish has been heavily involved in the Keweenaw area for decades, including writing a column for the Daily Mining Gazette. “I still remember him saying, ‘Oh, I need to get my article done!'” said Kirkish’s niece, Rosie.

Kirkish has lived a long and lustrous life. He entered the military in the 1940s. Upon completion of his service, he attended the University of Wisconsin, before becoming a Humanities professor at Michigan Tech. He was an active volunteer, spending his time with organizations such as Little Brothers-Friends of the Elderly.

He acted as an advisor to the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity at Michigan Tech, opened up the Mu Beta Psi musical fraternity to women, hosted movie nights for elders in the community, and more. He introduced Michigan Tech’s first film course, and produced Public Radio in the Keweenaw.

Upon retiring from teaching, he began to travel and experiment with photography. Kirkish was later appointed to the Board of Directors at the Calumet Theatre, where he founded Club Indigo.

After establishing himself as an accomplished photographer, the centurion also mentored others just getting into the art. One of Kirkish’s mentees, H Donn de Yampert, said a few hours with Kirkish changed his life.

“Everything I have is because of Joe.” de Yampert said.

As Joe Kirkish entered his birthday celebration to raucous applause, he was speechless.

“I … this is unbelievable.” he said, grinning from ear to ear. “I’m from a Lebanese background,” Kirkish explained. “And we were taught that we were always second, everyone else came first … so this is almost too much.”

Kirkish also gave some simple advice for those who want to live to be 100.

“Eat healthy food!” he said with a laugh. ‘The Mediterranean diet is all I ever have. When they examined me to be [at The Bluffs], they said my body was twenty years younger, healthier.”

It was clear Kirkish had an impact wherever he went. Representatives from Copper Shores, the Houghton Police, and several nuns from the St. Al’s Catholic Church attended the celebration. Every community member had a story about Joe, and some waited for over thirty minutes just to speak with him.

One attendee told a story of Joe’s movie nights, which he hosted for seniors in the area.

“It was packed. Everyone loved it, because it was Joe!” she said.

Kirkish was joined at this 100th birthday party by his three nieces, Rosie, Paula, and Brenda, along with several other family members. Friends and well-wishers who couldn’t attend in-person called in, including a former student living in Brussels and a friend in Belgium.