Biloxi resident turns 100
It was a big day for a Biloxi resident this afternoon as he reached a milestone: his 100th birthday.
It’s not often someone can say they’ve had 100 birthdays, but for Biloxi resident Bob Leslie, he celebrated that milestone surrounded by friends, family, and a proclamation by Biloxi Mayor FoFo Gilich. “I proclaim the second day of October 2018 as Robert ‘Bob’ Craig Leslie Day.”
Bob’s son, William, tells News 25 it’s not by chance he’s celebrating his 100th birthday. “He hardly drank at all. He’s been active most of his life. He’s had great medical care. He’s a survivor, but it’s not by accident. He’s worked at it.”
Bob grew up in New Jersey before spending most his life serving his country. In 1941, he enlisted in the U.S. Army where he served as a radar technician and bomber pilot during World War II flying a B-24. It was in 1947 that he arrived at Keesler Air Force Base where he transitioned to the Air Force as an electronics instructor. Mr. Leslie retired as a reserve Air Force major at Keesler in 1961.
His service to the country didn’t stop there. For the next 20 years, Leslie worked as a civilian electronics instructor until 1981.
With a century of memories behind him, News 25 asked Bob what advice he’d give someone to make it to 100 years. “Hang in there. Do the best you can.”
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