Karl Miller was 6 when he watched LDS Church President Joseph F. Smith seal a time capsule in the cornerstone of the future Maeser Building at Brigham Young University.

He didn't expect to be around 66 years later to open the capsule, but he was. After several failed attempts by others, Miller succeeded with the help of his old can opener.

That was 33 years ago.

The lifelong Provo resident smiled Friday as he remembered the many changes he's seen in the school -- and the world -- during his 105 years.

"That's a long time," he said. "Even the ball games. We've beaten Utah a lot of times now."

The avid Cougar football and basketball fan was one of about 50 centenarians to attend the 22nd annual Centenarian's Day Celebration at the Utah State Capitol. It was his fifth visit, making him one of the most senior members of the Governor's Century Club and the oldest attendee from Utah County.

The best part of old age, according to Miller, is simple: "That I'm alive. Still able to get around."

A century ago, Miller was a 5-year-old kindergarten student at BYU. The flag of the United States had 45 stars. About 8 percent of homes had a telephone. The world's tallest structure was the Eiffel Tower. The average life expectancy was 47 years.

"Everything has changed," said Miller, who graduated from Brigham Young High School and then BYU with a degree in animal husbandry. In 1928, he was a member of a livestock-judging team with another future church president, Ezra Taft Benson -- though at the time, Miller simply called him "T" Benson.

Miller went on to become BYU's first faculty policeman and a 40-year employee of the school's Department of Buildings and Grounds, serving for 13 of those years as superintendent.

"I worked like I was supposed to, and I never had a day off," he said.

Utah is home to at least 155 centenarians, according to 2000 Census data.

The state's Division of Aging and Adult Services is aware of 122 of them. The number of long-living people could multiply in the coming years, said Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. He predicted that by 2050, Utah will have 1,500 centenarians.

Dr. Joseph Miner, executive director of the Utah County Health Department and member of the State Board of Aging and Adult Services, said there's a good chance of that, thanks to better responses to leading causes of death like heart disease and cancer than ever before.

"A lot of things that used to kill people are being treated," he said.

In talking with members of the Century Club about their longevity, Huntsman said he's noticed a common strand connecting their accounts.

"I noted in every one of our centenarians, the word came out again: 'optimism,' " he said.

Huntsman urged the attendees to record their lives and the lessons they've learned for the benefit of younger generations.

"History repeats itself," he said. "Capture some of your experience in ways that you can share."

As for Miller -- who was around for the introduction of electricity to Provo, watched the advent of the gas engine and was already in his mid-60s when man walked on the moon -- he said the most important thing to a good, long life is the people you know.

"Have a group of young folks that you perfectly adore, that are good, honest people," he said.

• Ace Stryker can be reached at 344-2556 or astryker@heraldextra.com.