Photos: Alaska's centenarians

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Clara Anderson, born July 2, 1905 near Winigan, Missouri. Photographed in Homer on August 2, 2014.

Clara Anderson, 109, Homer. Born July 2, 1905, near Winigan, Mo.

What do you think of Alaska?

"Frankly, I didn't much like Alaska when I first came here. Everything was different: the road signs, food, the way people talked. And I don't really like fish. But it's different now. I've been here 16 years and I understand Alaska more."

What is the secret to a long and happy life?

"Success in this world is built on truth. I don't lie. I don't get even. And I always try to be positive. That's it, really. Except for corn bread; never have corn bread for breakfast."

What's still on your bucket list?

"I wish they would tune that piano downstairs (at the South Peninsula Hospital long-term care facility). There are just a couple of notes that are out of tune. I would go down there and play it if they would just tune it."

Arlene Clay, 102, Wasilla. Born Aug. 2, 1912, in Mexico, Maine.

Arlene came to Alaska with her husband in 1943 and settled in Aniak in 1944. She was the district magistrate there from 1960 to 1977. She and her husband mushed dogs from their home 3 miles to town. "If you didn't have a dog team, you had to hoof it," she said.

"During (World War II) they (U.S. military) didn't allow ham radio operators, so I got licensed after the war. I've been a ham ever since. I have to wear earphones here (in the assisted living home) because I disturb the other inmates here."

What's your favorite Yup'ik food?

"That's easy: salmon! Oh, boy! Silvers. That's one of the things I have to get used to, living here in Wasilla. They're not fish eaters here."

Alfredo Agron, 103, Anchorage. Born Dec. 24, 1910, in Claveria, Philippines.

Fred Agron first came to the U.S. in 1931, working as a mechanic for GM. He joined the Army in 1942, serving in a segregated unit with 6,000 other Filipinos.

"I came to Alaska in 1951. I was a mechanic for the Army Corps. We built Fort Richardson and Elmendorf Air Force Base."

In 1953, Fred started hanging out with other Filipino bachelors living in Alaska, having picnics and playing cards. He was the first president of the Filipino Community of Anchorage and Vicinity, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary next year.

Fred married his wife Pacita in 1958, and they have three sons, including one who graduated from West Point.

What's still on your bucket list?

"I built this house in 1960. I built the deck when I was 99 years old. I'd like to remodel this house. But that's probably just wishful thinking."

Wilma Ellington, 104, Soldotna. Born Sept. 8, 1910, in Keytesville, Mo.

When she was 7, Wilma was hospitalized for nearly a year. The doctors said she'd never walk or bear children. Some 95 years later, she now has more than 150 direct descendants through five generations.

What's your favorite thing about Alaska?

"No snakes, no spiders."

What is the secret to a long and happy life?

"Pay attention to your kids, and be sure to love every one of them as much as you can. Of course you have to eat right and all that stuff too."

According to her daughter, Wilma is likely one of the oldest people on Facebook, although she doesn't really know what to call it. "I like that facelift thing!"

Ella Bell, 100, Anchorage. Born March 2, 1914, in Harrisburg, S.D.

Ella caught the flu when she was 4, during the 1918 epidemic. She hasn't had the flu since.

What is the secret to a long and happy life?

"Don't worry. I give all my worries to God. The world could be falling apart and I wouldn't worry. I'd just bake an apple pie."

Ella came to Alaska in 1950. Her uncle was in Juneau at the time. She supported her children by selling World Book Encyclopedias. According to her children, she was at one time the top seller in the country.

"I sold encyclopedias because I wanted my kids to get smart. That's another way to live a long life."

Margaret Lucas, 100, Palmer. Born Feb. 14, 1914, in Denver.

How did you end up in Alaska?

"The Great Depression brought me to Alaska. I came to Cordova in 1938 with my husband to work on the railroad."

Why did you come to Palmer?

"I didn't like the coast, didn't like the water, so we moved to Palmer. We bought 160 acres for $3,000 in silver dollars." (Her son remembers the story differently, saying they paid for the land with three $1,000 bills, which were used before World War II.)

"Palmer hasn't exploded like Wasilla; it's still a pretty nice town. Still better than any of the rest of them."

Emma Northway, Tok. Born around 1915 in Mansfield, Alaska.

When Emma Northway was born, her mother spoke Dihthaad Xt'een Aandeg', the Tanacross dialect of Athabascan. It wasn't until she was 5 or 6 years old, in 1920, that Episcopal missionaries came and recorded her birth date in the U.S. Census. They wrote down April 24, 1915, but records from that period are sometimes inaccurate. She is the oldest Native elder in the Tok area.

What is your favorite thing to eat?

"Moose meat, but I can't eat that anymore. I miss eating moose."

What is the secret to a long and happy life?

"Prayer. A lot of people pray for me."