Chris Sorensen set to celebrate his 91st birthday

It’s coming up on June 30, which means that Chris Sorensen – aka Fresno’s “Man of Steel” – is getting ready to celebrate another of his famous birthdays.

I put together a major profile of Sorensen for his 90th birthday last year, and in it I tried to capture a small sense of his indomitable spirit. If you’ve ever done one thing most of your life and decided you want to try your hand at another, Sorensen’s story is an inspiration.

My favorite quotation from the story: “No one expected me to live to 90,” he says. “When I was 65, I sold some of my pieces for $100 a month for the rest of my life. I still get those checks.”

His birthday celebration is noon Thursday, June 30, at the sprawling studio complex bearing his name, 2223 S. Van Ness Ave. All are welcome.

This story was originally published June 29, 2016 at 3:46 PM with the headline "Chris Sorensen set to celebrate his 91st birthday."