By Shelley Smith, SalisburyPost.com

Dr. Jay Buxton went on his 38th mission trip to Georgia in February when he was 90 years old.

Three years ago he climbed scaffolding, mixed concrete and helped build a health clinic in Guatemala. After retiring from Catawba College in 1987 when he was 68, he hiked most of the Appalachian Trail with his friends.

He's remained active his entire life —the secret, he says, to a happy and healthy life.

Born in Italy, raised on a farm in Warsaw, Ohio, he ultimately ended up in Salisbury after finishing his schooling in California, Texas and Ohio. He became the chair of the biology department at Catawba College for 19 years, retiring in 1987.

Always a lover of the land, he worked on his father's farms during his childhood years. He learned to play the harmonica from the hired farm hands, and he gained a lot of knowledge from the land — something he'd use later on in his life. Read More...

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