Fifty years of Julian Claude Schilletter’s first 100 years have been spent working at Iowa State. Since retiring, Schilletter – or Shorty, or Doc, depending on how you know him – hasn’t left Ames.

Today, Schilletter, who lends his name to the university housing village north of campus, celebrates his 100th birthday.

Schilletter, who has lived in Ames close to the university for 80 years, has two nicknames – Shorty and Doc. Both were unlikely names for the Clemson, S.C. native, who was born and raised in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Even at 100 years, Shorty stands a respectable 5 feet 11 inches tall. He was the shortest of his brothers, but it was his father who was responsible for the nickname. Shorty was his dad’s nickname, and he passed it on to the next generation.

Doc, his other nickname, is more fitting, but equally unexpected considering his roots.

“I’m not smart,” Schilletter said with a sly smile. “I can just bluff.”

Nowadays, Schilletter takes it easy. He quit golfing two years ago, despite hitting his second career hole-in-one at 93.

After 100 years, he still drives. He still cooks. He still loves the memories and friendships he’s made at Iowa State.

Saturday, in the Hawthorn Court Community Center, the Department of Residence will celebrate the memories, the friendships and his birthday.

He’s personally known eight of Iowa State’s 14 presidents and most of the people who have their names on ISU buildings.

One of those buildings is Parks Library, named after the former ISU president, W. Robert Parks. Parks and his wife, Ellen, were friends to Schilletter.

Schilletter was the director of residence for the majority of Parks’ 21 years as president.

“[Residence] was one area I never had to worry about with Shorty in charge,” Parks said.

Through those times of exemplary service, Parks said Schilletter’s attitudes never wavered.

“Part of Shorty’s legacy should be his wonderful cheerfulness,” he said. “[In troubling times], Shorty would always smile his way through it.”

Those troubling times included some scary moments of protest and upheaval across the country during the late ’60s and early ’70s. Parks said Schilletter handled all of the worries in the residence halls without a problem.

Schilletter earned a doctorate degree in horticulture, unlikely because his education started in the “poor South.”

“There wasn’t much money in the South in those days,” he said.

He studied in a one-room school, and Schilletter said many students dropped out to work for their families before making it to high school.

He went on to graduate high school and get a degree from Clemson University. Schilletter’s dad worked at Clemson, and he’s still a fan. There’s a stuffed Clemson Tiger on an end table in his living room.

When Schilletter first made it to Ames, he was happy with what he found.

“You could get a good glass of milk for a nickel, and all the land was bottom land,” he said in his gentlemanly, Southern accent.

Schilletter taught for 20 years, advised for several of those years and wrote a book on horticulture. In 1943, he became a professor of horticulture. Before retiring, Schilletter was promoted to professor emeritus.

He become director of the Department of Residence in 1946, when room and board was $600, Schilletter said.

There, he supervised residence halls. He watched Friley Hall, Helser Hall and one of the Towers climb from the ground, and watched university housing capacity grow from 1,800 to 6,300 during his tenure. Schilletter also is responsible for bringing the house-style living into the dorms.

He retired in 1967.

For his service to the department, he has a university community named after him.

Schilletter Village, north of campus, was built and dedicated after his retirement.

Chuck Frederiksen, director of the Department of Residence from 1967 to 1996, said he’s learned a lot from Schilletter.

“He was a mentor for me, and he’s been a person who’s continued to be a model for me,” Frederiksen said.

“He’s a man I’ve been happy to call a good friend.”