Kelly Mitchell/News Chief

The company's client, James "Jimbo" Colyer turned 100 years old Wednesday.

Colyer was born on March 26, 1908, and remembers the time when his father took a horse and buggy to work, until he bought a Buick in 1919. He also remembers the milkman visiting every morning with milk and a small container of cream, and a newspaper representative coming for payment every week.

He saw his first airplane when he was around 10 years old, saw his first television in 1946 on Michigan Avenue in Chicago and saw income taxes come into existence.

"I guess its something for an old man to be 100," Colyer said.

A.G. Edwards threw a party for Colyer because it is a special day, and he is a special client, company officials said. He comes into the office every day that he is in town. Colyer is an honest and good hearted person with an excellent memory that really understands business, said branch manager Ronald Snyder.

Two years ago, Colyer went to get this license renewed, not only did he cause a stir at the Department of Motor Vehicles, but he also got licensed to drive until he is 104 years old, said John Davis, Colyer's neighbor.

"The sickest I ever was, was in 1924, (19)25 when I got a hold of corn whisky and that was during Prohibition and man that's the sickest I've ever been," Colyer said.

That experience and having his gallbladder removed are the only two ailments Colyer remembers.

Friends at the birthday party said they do not remember Colyer forgetting anything.

"He keeps all the stock prices in his head," Snyder said.

Colyer said he is beginning to have trouble recalling names.

"That's the only trouble with being 100," Colyer said.

Colyer celebrated with his family Sunday, but his party on Tuesday was thrown by A.G. Edwards. Colyer is one of their clients. He opened his first account in 1967 and has had an account in Winter Haven since 1969.

Colyer was born in Asheville, N.C. to Charles Colyer and Mary Fairlie Myers and they moved to Jacksonville when he was one year old. Although he wanted to go to Georgia Tech, which is where his older brother attended college, his parents sent him to the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. His mother said there was to much to do in Atlanta to sidetrack, him so they sent him to Chapel Hill.

"There wasn't a damn thing to do," Colyer said. "I never did like school."

So Colyer stopped school and began as an office boy at Fairbanks, Morse & Company, then one day in 1930s he was able to sell two diesel engines for $8,000 during the Depression. Colyer actually made the sale to a rum runner who was later arrested off the coast of New Orleans.

The company then promoted Colyer to salesman and he moved to North Carolina and later North Georgia with the company before he ended in Tampa and finally Winter Haven.

"I came in 38 and have been here ever since," Colyer said.

Later in life, Colyer worked at Berkeley Pump Company and finally for an aluminum pipe company. He worked until he was 75 years old.

"I can't complain about my life," Colyer said. "I was never anything but a traveling salesman."

Colyer married his wife Mildred in 1940, he was 32 and she was 22. She was an English teacher at Winter Haven High School and died five years ago. The couple had two girls and two boys who live in Brandon, Orlando, Georgia and Arkansas. The last of his children was born when he was 52 and his wife was 42. He also has six grandchildren.

Colyer lives alone in his family home and cooks his own meals.

"I can't find anybody to live with me," he said. Colyer said many of his friends have died.

Snyder said he remembers a time when there were always four or five of Colyer and his friends in the A.G. Edwards lobby at a time, watching the stocks screen and talking, but many of them have died.

Alice Voight, branch cashier at A.G. Edwards, said Colyer was at the company when she started and that he is a "southern gentleman" always saying "yes ma'am" and calling her "Ms. Alice." He is charming, she said.

"He's a wonderful man. I love when he comes in and tells us his stories," said Judy Boggs, the wire operator at A.G. Edwards.

Colyer does have company at the century milestone though. The doctor that delivered Colyer lived to be 100, his sister, Ellen, and one of his brothers, Charles "Bubba," lived to be 99. Another brother, Robert, lived to be 90.

kelly.mitchell@newschief.com