J. Russell Larson celebrates his 100th birthday on Thursday.

He was born Nov. 21, 1913.

He and his wife Joan loved their Fountain Hills home, with views of the surrounding mountains, for 25 years. In 2012 they moved to Fountain View Village, where they are now enjoying the views of Four Peaks and many mountain ranges.

Russ and Joan met at the University of Washington, Seattle. Russ was the university’s “outstanding senior art student” of 1939-40; both were art majors. He finished his college degree designing signs for Able Sign Co., becoming a partner there.

During World War II this artist became a pattern maker for Lake Washington Shipyards, Seattle.

Russ and Joan married in 1941. Their family consist of son Jay, a retired metallurgical engineer and now a consultant in metallurgy, and son Jan, a retired art professor still showing works in the Pacific coast states.

Both sons are married, and their parents have six adult grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

The Larsons moved to Spokane, Wash., where Russ became designer and sales manager for Brown industries, a commercial trailer manufacturing firm.

Russ had a strong desire to teach, so he returned for graduate degrees to Whitworth University in Spokane, where he became a professor of fine arts and taught almost every art course there is in his 34 years.

Building started for Russ with his Egyptian-themed room that he designed and built in his parents’ home as a high school student.

Russ and Joan went on to build three homes over the years, with house plans he drew, influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright’s style.

Their first unique home gained Russ notoriety, resulting in his designing more than 300 house plans throughout Washington and Idaho as well as four churches and a culinary factory.

Travels for this family began with a borrowed canvas tarpaulin spread on the ground for sleeping (the twin toddlers safely tucked in the car. Then there was a tent the next summer, followed with three trailers, beginning with a 16-footer and ending with the favorite 27-footer.

Advanced studies in art for Russ took the family (now two teenagers) to San Miguel, Mexico, so the dad artist could attend the internationally-renowned Instituto Allende for two summers.

Inspired by foreign travel, Russ and Joan spent his only sabbatical (one year) driving their German- bought Volkswagen squareback through 21 countries, logging 18,000 miles throughout Europe. Meeting with both of their Swedish relatives brought visitors here to the USA.

Two years later the two travelers conducted a tour for 42 tourists to Spain and Portugal. Another year was a cruise through the Caribbean and the Panama Canal.

They flew to Australia and New Zealand, in 1989, and their last trip was a visit with son Jay and his wife (who lived in China for three years).

It’s been so much fun for the Larsons to reminisce about these trips in recent years.

Russ’s work has always included his love of art as well as the family’s recreations.

After traveling the United States in search of their place to retire, Arizona was chosen, and when they looked up at the hills from Highway 87 and Shea Blvd., Fountain Hills was the definitive choice.

The Larsons have always loved Fountain Hills.

And in what is perhaps a most fitting way to celebrate his special day and his special year, J. Russell Larson has a one-man showing of his art works in the Beth Shafe Art Gallery at Fountain View village for the month of November.