Jesse Lewis learned early in life he wanted more beyond his sparse surroundings and that he needed a plan to achieve it.

“I came from Northport, Alabama, I was reared by my grandmother. and we didn’t have a nickel or a nail, and I made up my mind that I wanted to make some money,” he said. “I didn’t want to do anything else but make some money.”

A simple plan that spawned a lifelong journey, leading Lewis to build a career in media, public relations, government and education.

Lewis turns 100 years old today, but his life is a story of milestones that overshadow the centenarian’s birthday. Lewis’ career includes several firsts, including one of the first Blacks to serve on a state-wide cabinet and the founder of one the first Black-owned advertising and marketing agency.

The World War II Army veteran, who grew up in poverty in deeply segregated Alabama, became a central figure in Birmingham and state politics and business.

Lewis’ business ventures included Jesse J. Lewis & Associates, now Agency54, an advertising and public relations firm, and the Birmingham Times newspaper. Both companies remain in business after decades of operation.

The ad firm founded in 1954 is regarded as being among the oldest Black-owned advertising firms in the country. His first advertising client, Coca-Cola, set the stage for his future success.

“When I walked in the door and said I worked for Coca-Cola, that’s name recognition,” he said. “If you get to the big boys then you can get the little boys. I had enough sense to know who to go to first, and if I could get them, everything else would be easy.”

Lewis said his job expanded nationally as he convinced local bottlers around the country to begin hiring Black employees.

“My selling point was, ‘Black people drink Coca-Cola and if you put more effort in getting a Black person to help you, they would drink more Coca-Cola, and you will benefit,” Lewis recalled.

The strategy worked, even in the segregated South.

Lewis then added politics to his resume, eventually working for Alabama Governor George Wallace as state director of traffic safety, the first black person to serve in the cabinet since Reconstruction.

Lewis said he has no secret to his longevity and viability. But he has always gone to bed early.

“I feel great. I don’t know what It feels like to be 100. I’ve never been 100 before,” he said sitting in his Birmingham home after climbing the front stairs to sit in his living room. “I lived the same type of lifestyle that the average person lived other than the fact that I’ve never been a drinker or a smoker. I don’t even like to smell whisky.”

Today, Lewis still needs no introduction at Birmingham City Hall where he was a frequent visitor over the years to the third floor offices of the mayor and council.

A longtime confidant to many Birmingham politicians including mayors, Lewis often advocated for his clients, including the Birmingham Housing Authority, Birmingham Water Works Board and the transit authority.

Lewis gained a reputation for being a fierce protector of his businesses. For that, he remains unapologetic.

“You can’t go around worrying about people who are going to criticize you. And then you can’t go around worrying about people who dislike you,” he said. “I have not done anything for people to dislike me, but what I have done was make money. And if people don’t like you because you’re financially successful, you’ve got to keep on doing what you are doing to be more financially successful. Which one would you like to be – a liked broke person or a liked rich person? I’ll take my option. I’ll take the other side.”

Lewis laughed when told the story of a man who envied his success and who planned to ‘wait him out’ for a chance to succeed Lewis. That was more than a dozen years ago. The ambitious man has since left town.

“You’re going to be waiting a long time,” Lewis shot back.

Asked about his favorite business venture, Lewis offered a rare pause before recalling his appointment to the cabinet of the former segregationist Alabama Governor George Wallace in 1975.

“What I liked the most is seeing some type of results. When George Wallace hired me, I was severely criticized,” he said. “If you’ve got an opportunity to participate in anything that could move people forward, then you do it.”

Back then, Lewis asked Wallace to hire black employees for the highway department.

“I just went down there and did it, and in one day we hired 22 black folks in in the highway department,” he said. “You get what you can out of everybody that you can.”

Lewis then went on to serve as president of Lawson State Community College from 1978 to 1987.

An avid golfer, Lewis’ company continues to manage Birmingham’s Roebuck Golf Course in east Birmingham. And he remains a presence there on the green.

“I don’t play as good as I used to play. But still beat the people I used to beat,” he said. “As long as I can walk, I’m not going to ever stop playing golf.”

Both of Lewis‘s late sons, James and Jesse Lewis Jr., were actively involved in running the family businesses.

Lewis sold the Birmingham Times newspaper but remains chairman of his public relations company.

Even as he turns 100, Lewis still comes to work regularly in his office about four days a week.

“You ain’t going to get paid until you go to work. I want to get paid, so if you don’t work you don’t get a check,” he said with a laugh. “I still do it because I want to. I doubt if I will ever stop working until I leave and go to Heaven.

“I hope they’ve got a place for me in Heaven. Don’t misunderstand me now, I ain’t ready to go to Heaven today, probably won’t be ready tomorrow, but if I leave, that’s where I want to go.”

While Lewis celebrates his centennial today, he also recently celebrated another milestone, his second wedding anniversary.

Lewis was a widower after being married 62 years to Helen M. Lewis, who died in 2016. Years later, he began a series of long phone conversations that led to romance and then another chance at matrimony to Brenda Lewis.

According to Mrs. Lewis, it was her husband who began the surprise courtship through a series of phone calls.

“We would talk and talk and talk, and it got longer and longer and longer,” she said. “I thought, ‘this is really an interesting man,’ she said. “He’s not like I thought he was.”

Brenda Lewis finally admitted that she had a crush on the senior bachelor.

“We just talked all the time, and the crush didn’t go away,” she said.

Jesse Lewis smiled as he listened to his wife’s story.

“I’m so glad it didn’t go away,” he said.