This is the incredibly story of a woman who recently
celebrated her 80 years as a secretary working in her former high school in the US
state of Indiana.
Elisabeth Davis first got her current job as a
secretary at a prep school in Indiana, she enjoyed it so much that she figured
she would stay awhile.
That
was in 1936.
Davis,
99, has reached an incredible milestone as she celebrates her 80th year as a secretary
at Culver Academies in Culver, Indiana.
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Elisabeth Davis 99, behind her typewriter at Culver Academies in Culver, Indiana |
"I
was just happy,'' Davis told TODAY. "I like what I do with records and
working with everybody who's been here. It's nothing really special, I
guess."
Her
colleagues would beg to differ as they marvel at a career that began when
Franklin D. Roosevelt was in the White House and Jesse Owens was starring in
the Olympics in Berlin.
"Having
her show the rich history here at the school gives great perspective for the
students to appreciate the past and the future,'' Bill Hargraves, director of
strategic communications at Culver Academies, told TODAY. "Some people
don't even know what FDR stands for today, and he was the president when she
started!"
![]() |
Great grandma Elisabeth Davis shown as a student in Culvers in 1931 |
Davis
got the job shortly after graduating from Culver High School in 1935, starting
off with assisting the dean.
She
now maintains all of the faculty information, keeping a hard copy of everything
that she types up on her typewriter. The school has to order ribbon and any
parts from Amazon because of the scarcity of anything typewriter-related.
"I
never had a computer,'' Davis said. "I just figured that as long as I'll
be here, why should I learn all that technology? I'm able to type, and that's
all I need."
The
biggest change she has seen during her career has been the evolving technology,
all the way from the telegraph to the Internet.
"I
haven't learned a lot of that, and I haven't tried to learn it,'' she said.
"I figure I won't be here much longer, I guess."
The
school has grown from 34 students when she started to 814 today. The only time
Davis wasn't at her desk was when she took a leave of absence for a few years
until her son and daughter were both in school. She is now a grandmother of six
and a great-grandmother of five.
Davis
lives close to the school and gets a ride every day from co-workers.
"They're
wonderful,'' she said. "They're very good to me."
She
never considered getting a job anywhere else, and retirement never crossed her
mind, either. After her husband of 59 years, Eldon, died in 2004, the job has
helped keep her active.
"I
just live day by day,'' she said. "If there comes a time when I feel like
it, I will, but I don't feel like retiring."
Culled from NBC News Lifestyle News, As reported by TODAY NEWS
Culled from NBC News Lifestyle News, As reported by TODAY NEWS
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