By DIANE GASPER-O'BRIEN

dobrien@dailynews.net

RANSOM -- Strong genetics run deep in Ness County.

Elza "Hap" Stull, a 1929 graduate of Brownell High School, was to be an honored guest at Saturday night's Ransom/Arnold/Brownell class reunion, held in Ransom for 85 consecutive years on Memorial Day weekend.

Stull, 98, is the only one from his Brownell High class of '29 still alive, but there are graduates from that year from both Ransom and Arnold living in other states.

"This is a special year, the 'nine' years," Stull said in reference to graduation years ending in the number nine.

"You graduated in '29?" Ron Nichols asked Stull with surprise at another event at the Ransom VFW Friday night.

"You graduated in '29?" Nichols repeated.

"My dad was born in '28," Nichols added, shaking his head, still having a hard time grasping such numbers.

Here's a better one for Nichols, who lives on the eastern part of the state, in the Kansas City area.

Folks in western Kansas come from healthy stock.

There still are classmates from the class of '27 -- Robert Scott and Beulah Klitzke -- who were honored for their 80th reunion two years ago and still live in Ness County.

Stull, the youngest of eight, is the only one still alive in his immediate family.

Alumni records show there still are alumni alive from the classes of '28 and '30, too.

The reason for such good health as these folks approach, and pass, the century mark?

In Stull's case, he points to two possibilities.

"Good genetics," he said.

"And not smoking," he added with a smile.

Stull still lives alone on his farm 9 miles southeast of Ransom and drives into town each Wednesday for lunch at the local senior center.

"His dad stressed good nutrition when they were young," said Stull's son, Richard Stull. "He really emphasized (eating) fruits and vegetables. They always had watermelons around."

Hap Stull, who uses a cane to get around, had to give up hunting a few years ago.

But Stull, a retired farmer, still is able to play cards with the best of them.

"He's a whiz at pinochle," his son said.

While the elder Stull said he was looking forward to seeing a lot of alumni Saturday, he was looking forward to an even bigger milestone.

"I'm more excited for my 100th," Stull said, referring to his age, not his class reunion.

That will be Oct. 14, 2010.

"Yeah," his son said, "we'll probaly do something to celebrate."