He still drives, and he's got one heck of a handshake.
Longtime University Medical Center volunteer Harold Finkelstein turned 100 on Thursday.
The staff break room in the pharmacy department of UMC last week was converted to a birthday celebration room for the event.
As hospital employees and visitors gradually gathered in the room and crowded into the pharmacy department just outside, anticipation built for the new centenarian to appear.
Some people scurried around in search of plates for the yellow marble cake with chocolate icing, baked by a pharmacy employee in Finkelstein's honor.
Others joked about the difficulty of finding 100 candles for the cake, which was spared the candles in the end.
Soon enough, the man of the hour appeared, wearing hat and glasses and striding around the corner into the room with a small half-smile on his face.
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Finkelstein has been a volunteer in the pharmacy since 1978. Every weekday morning — whether or not it's a federal holiday — Finkelstein is there, sorting and labeling syringes and medications into trays to help get the pharmacy staff off to a good start.
As of his birthday, he had donated 24,117 hours of service to the hospital. In 2005, UMC named him Volunteer of the Year.
Once he arrived at his birthday shindig, he sat quietly, surrounded by balloons, candy and party hats, and read each of the cards that were waiting for him on the decorated table, nodding and thanking each person who left him birthday wishes as he finished each card.
Then he opened two presents from the staff.
The first — a small, clear plaque wishing him happy birthday — was for him to take home.
The second will stay in the pharmacy department. It was a larger, wooden plaque with a metal plate on the front, announcing that the pharmacy manufacturing area — where Finkelstein spends his time — is dedicated to Finkelstein on his 100th birthday in gratitude for his 28 years of service to the hospital.
Finkelstein's smile gradually got bigger as media cameras showed up, from a school newspaper to television crews.
"You are the greatest people to work with, just beautiful," he said after opening his gifts.
He said the secret to his longevity is "good genes," noting that another family member lived to be more than 100 years old.
His birthday "seems like just another day," he said.
"He never misses a day," said Kate Burnham, pharmacy technician leader.
"He has the most hours of any volunteer here," said Cynthia Bendele, UMC manager of volunteer services.
Even the hospital's chief executive officer, Greg Pivirotto, popped in to wish Finkelstein a happy birthday. It turns out the two men have the same birthday — though not the same age.
The volunteer inspires the people around him to take care of themselves, said Kimberly Jackson, pharmacy technician leader. "I always tease him that he's in better health than I am."
Bill Fritz, acting pharmacy department director, said Finkelstein used to have some buddies who volunteered with him.
All were retired engineers, he said. Finkelstein is the only one of the group who remains.
When asked what keeps him coming back to the pharmacy, Finkelstein replied, "The people that work here, just beautiful people."
As Pivirotto left the party, he called out to Finkelstein that he would see him again next year.
"It's a date," Finkelstein replied.
100 Birthdays
l 100: Harold Finkelstein's age
l 1978: The year he began volunteering for UMC
l 24,117: The number of hours he had volunteered at UMC by the time he turned 100
l 5: Number of days he volunteers each week
l 4: Hours he volunteers each day
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