At his 99th birthday celebration at Heisinger Bluffs on Sunday, E. John Knapp was planning his future.
The former architect keeps a file of ideas, many dealing with his hobbies of art and poetry. He also keeps a notepad to jot down ideas before forgetting them.
"Sometimes I'll wake up in the middle of the night with a good idea, and I'll write it down," he said.
Heisinger is highlighting two dozen pieces of Knapp's art, both paintings and sculptures, in an exhibit in the retirement home's lobby. While talking about those pieces with a reporter, he was also mulling his next project - possibly a series of either poetry or art, with a related theme.
Knapp spoke to a reporter after celebrating his birthday in the Heisinger dining room, surrounded by family members, decorations, cake and presents.
Although Knapp created the art in the current exhibition over the past 10-20 years, he says he's been an artist since about fifth grade when "my mother told me I had a talent. I liked to make things. I didn't call it a talent. It was just something I liked to do."
Knapp's art style is abstract. He takes inspiration from English artist Henry Moore, known for his semi-abstract sculptures.
Knapp's favorite in his exhibit is "The Orange Waltz," which he painted after watching a symphony orchestra in Pennsylvania. "I was so impressed with the conductor. I made marks on a pad of paper expressing the movement of the conductor." That, in turn, led to a full-size painting in which he used highlighters, rather than paint, to show movement with color.
In World War II, Knapp was a navigator in a B-17, performing 35 missions with "plenty" of close calls. "I'm a survivor," he says.
Daughter Marcia Krech said when her father was working as an architect, he painted at home as a hobby.
"He did not like us bringing coloring books in the house, because to him they were already done," she said. Instead, he brought home white paper - a blank canvas - encouraging his children to create art from scratch.
Krech said she recently enjoyed taking a trip to Michigan, where her father worked as an architect, and was able to visit nine buildings he designed.
Knapp said the key to his longevity is "mental activity."
"I don't consider age a problem," he said. "I write one poem every other day."
Knapp's advice for anyone looking to pursue their passion: "When you have an idea, write it down and don't care what anybody thinks of it."