When James Hall had a pacemaker implanted seven years ago at the age of 94, doctors didn't think he would outlive the device. But last month, at 101 years old, he was due for a new one.

"This is the first time I've placed a pacemaker generator in a patient who is more than 100 years old," said Dr. A.R. Qureshi, a cardiologist at St. Anthony's Medical Center.

Hall needs the device, which uses electric pulses to prompt heartbeats, because his heart has gotten weaker with age. Otherwise, the centenarian is amazingly healthy and mentally sharp. He uses a walker to get around the assisted living community at Friendship Village of South County, where he lives in his own apartment.

"He has no other problems such as diabetes or blood pressure or all the other illnesses that go along with old age," Qureshi said. "If you get a pacemaker because of an irregular heartbeat from a heart attack or heart damage, those people don't live as long. He's got mainly electrical problems, which is taken care of completely by the pacemaker."

Hall shrugs when asked what the secret is to his longevity. "The Lord only knows," he said.

DESIRE TO LEARN, ENJOY

Maybe it's his genes. His parents were healthy -- his dad was a silver medal gymnast at the 1904 World's Fair -- and lived well into their 80s. He has a 97-year-old sister who lives in Florissant.

But one can see that Hall lives fully, always striving to satisfy a desire to learn and enjoy.

As a boy, he loved school and read constantly. Hall graduated from Yeatman High School in St. Louis at 16, thanks to summer school.

While working at Emerson Electric as a draftsman, Hall attended classes at night at Washington University. It took him five years to earn his certificate in mechanical engineering. He was hired at Procter & Gamble, where he managed several production lines. He worked there 40 years, retiring in 1970.

Hall was always physically active as well. Baseball and basketball as a boy gave way to bowling and golf as a man. He swam until six years ago. Hall now fills his days with poker, bridge and walker exercise classes.

"Oh, yeah, and lots of naps," he jokes.

Hall was married to his first wife for 54 years, until she died in 1989. They loved to travel. Hall's granddaughter, Christy Bell, 51, of Oakville, remembers the slide presentations he created after each trip.

"He wanted to soak up as much information as he could and make the most of it," Bell said.

Hall remarried in 1993. His second wife was the best dancer at Friendship Village, he recalls. They went on several cruises together. She died in 2002.

SCOTCH AND COOKIES

As far as his diet, Hall admits another midday ritual that could, perhaps, be a part of his secret. He eats breakfast and dinner at the community dining hall. But for lunch, Hall relaxes at his apartment, tips back a Scotch and nibbles on cookies.

It's a remnant of his daily "happy hours" with his first wife, he said. "It's just a part of my life."

At Hall's last visit to Qureshi's office, his pacemaker was tested.

"Everything looks good," the technician said. "You're good for another ... " He didn't finish his sentence.

Maybe because, as Hall puts it, the Lord only knows.