Michael Salgado sat in the front row at the Summit Village Board meeting Monday, Oct. 5, and smiled as Mayor Sergio Rodriguez read a proclamation honoring his 100th birthday.
Salgado, a longtime Summit resident, turned 100 on Oct. 3. His daughters Juanita and Christina joined him at the meeting.
Afterward, Salgado said it was very nice of the village to make the proclamation, and he appreciated everyone in the audience who wished him a happy birthday.
The celebration started on his birthday with an open house at the family’s home. Relatives traveled from several states, and family and friends stopped by to wish him well and share food and a large cake decorated with an old photo of Salgado.
Rodriguez stopped by as the family was about to cut the cake.
At the board meeting, the proclamation traced Salgado’s life. He was drafted into the U.S. Army in September 1950 and served two years, reaching the rank of sergeant. He is a lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
In May 1954, he married Darlene Wisbrock. They raised three children: Juanita, Mick and Christina. Salgado has seven grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
In 1960, he went to work at HP Smith Paper Co., where he spent 30 years as a quality control inspector.
Some listeners knew him by another name. As “Pioneer Mike,” Salgado and his daughters hosted “The Mom Show” on WARG, the Argo High School radio station, for several years in the 1990’s.
The proclamation closed by urging residents of Summit and surrounding communities to join Rodriguez “in wishing Mr. Michael Salgado a very Happy 100th Birthday!”
