Jennie “Jane” McCleary spent some time with Ann Peterson when Jennie just turned 105. At the time of the interview, Jane was living alone in her own apartment in Hermitage, where she had lived for about 13 years. Jane and her late husband moved to Hermitage from Plain Grove in 1936. Jane shared that she rode to school on a school “hack,” a horse-drawn wagon with benches. The hack seated about 20 children. It had a roof, but if it was raining or snowing hard, the children still got wet. She explained that in the winter, a farmer would supply bales of hay to keep the kids warmer during the trip. The school Jane attended was a small country school where everyone knew everyone, Jane graduated in 1928. Although there were 20 children who started school with her, only 8 graduated in her class. She said that older kids were pulled from school to take care of younger siblings or to work to support the family. Many of the classmates get together once a year for an all-school reunion. Jane attended several of the reunions, most recently in 2011. She was the oldest graduate who attended in 2011.
Although Jane experienced some vision changes when she was in her 90’s, she was still able to drive until she was 98 years old! Since then, she has relied on family and friends, the Transit and the Blind Association to get her to her medical appointments.
When Ann Perterson asked her what her secret was to living a long life, she laughed and said, “Hard work! We had to work hard on the farm.”