Think for a moment of how many 91-year-olds you know who are still working. Not many come to mind unless you know Frank Joseph “Joe” Scerbo, who has led an extraordinary life and has no intentions of slowing down anytime soon.
This is why he works seven days a week – five at Ingles as a bagger, and two with his daughter, Sharla Dupuis, at her fireplace company Aspen Hearth & Home.
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Scerbo turns 91 on July 20. To appreciate how far he’s come in his nine-plus decades, one must start with his humble beginnings. He was born and raised in a small town called North Adams in Massachusetts. Because of its location in the mountains, he was reminded of home when, many years later, he found out about Blairsville.
One of the things Scerbo’s family is most proud of is his military career, which he looks back on with great fondness. Interestingly enough, his military service began out of hardship.
“I was in college and in my junior year – I wasn’t doing terrifically good academically because I was in a fraternity and I was partying more than I was studying,” Scerbo admitted with dual doses of humility and humor. At the time, he felt the need to leave school because he was “wasting (his) parents’ money.”
Shortly after that, he received a draft notice in the mail from the United States Army. After talking to a recruiter, Scerbo instead enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1957. There, he learned to become an instructor of electronics and earned the rank of Airman Second Class.
“There was a program that was called the Aviation Cadets, and I always loved flying as a kid. I thought that’d be cool, so I put in for flying training and got accepted into the Aviation Cadet Program,” Scerbo recalled. “I loved every minute of the Air Force, I really did, and I would have stayed. It’s the camaraderie; it was fun.”
Scerbo then went through navigation school and moved up through the ranks. He was stationed on a B-52 as part of Operation Chrome Dome during the Cold War starting in 1961. At the time, Scerbo did not feel fear about the prospect of war, only duty.
During the Cuban Missile Crisis, Scerbo and his squadron were addressed by then-President Kennedy and warned that the country would make preparations to go to war. Scerbo remembers being assigned certain targets; when given an alert, it was up to Scerbo and his fellow servicemen to rain nuclear weapons down on the enemy.
Of course, that level of war never broke out, but Scerbo underwent hours of travel, patrols and refueling to be ready, just in case.
“If they said go, we went right from that point, wherever we were on that (patrol). That’s what Chrome Dome was about, and that’s the Cuban Crisis,” Scerbo explained. “We just didn’t think about it. We just did our mission because we knew what we had to do. The good news is that it never came to fruition, but it could have.”
Ultimately, Scerbo spent eight years in the military and earned the rank of Captain. When he was forced to leave in 1965 due to a health emergency, Scerbo was saddened but quickly found help through the Department of Veterans Affairs’ occupational rehabilitation.
This gave him the opportunity to return to college and earn a degree in electrical engineering from the University of South Florida in Tampa. Eventually, he became an independent contractor with term life insurance and mutual funds with Primerica.
Scerbo has, in essence, “done a little bit of everything.” All of his jobs have revolved around serving others, so it makes sense that he views himself as a people person who thrives while doing good for others, and he has certainly succeeded in that goal no matter where he’s called home.
Although he met his wife, Sandi, in Florida, she originally hailed from Union County. When her parents moved back north, the Scerbos followed suit, making the decision to live out the rest of their days here in familiar environs, since both grew up in mountain communities.
It was here in 2014 that Scerbo developed the Mountain Networking Referral Group, which promotes small businesses through referrals and education opportunities. Although he is no longer a member, Scerbo is proud to see the group is up to 40 members and still going strong.
So, what’s Scerbo’s secret to making it to 91 and counting? The biggest thing is his belief that one should never stop moving. Long ago, a student of his said in a speech about retirement that it’s usually not long after a person stops working that they pass away.
“That’s stuck in my brain all these years. You’ve got to keep moving. So, I thought, you know, that makes a lot of sense. As long as you can do it, you ought to do it, because I’m not going to sit on the couch and wilt away. That’s kind of what my philosophy is,” Scerbo divulged.
He also attributes his longevity to a healthy lifestyle, including staying active and eating well, though he’s not ashamed to say he frequently indulges in chocolate. With an additional 26 servings of fruits and vegetables in one capsule, Scerbo also attributes his health to Juice Plus+, of which he is a representative.
When it comes to life advice, he believes every young person would benefit from joining the military, which would help them learn discipline and respect. Also, it’s alright to not remain positive at all times, because not every situation is positive. Still, determination goes a long way.
“I don’t think of myself as old for some reason. My mental age is almost as good as my physical age,” Scerbo said with a smile – and he intends for things to stay that way for as long as possible. “As long as I’m healthy and not a burden for anybody, that’s wonderful … I have lived a full life, let’s face it.”
Happy Birthday, Joe, and thank you for your service.
