An Icon at 93. Living Life…Happy Birthday Persis!
An Icon…Iris Apfel, Betty White, Gloria Steinem, Maya Angelou, Jane Fonda and Persis Laverack. Just a few iconic women in their 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. Women who have not let the number make them old. Maybe older, but not old. They’re living life.
There is the myth that as we get older, we must be old. Because of this there is a certain way we are supposed to act, and a certain way that we are supposed to dress. This is especially true for women. But does it have to be? Absolutely NOT! The women mentioned above are vibrant women who are defying the myth. They move, they laugh and they keep busy. Older is wiser and older is relevant and older can and should be seen. These are women who defy the current day societal paradigm of women and age. Maybe older, but not old. They’re living life.
‘Some guy said to me: ‘Don’t you think you’re too old to sing rock n roll?’
I said: ‘You better check with Mick Jagger.'” – Cher
Maybe older, but not old…Take away the number…Live Life
Because when you take away the number, you have women who have quite a lot to offer. And we need them.
‘‘You don’t stop laughing when you grow old, you grow old when you stop laughing.’
-George Bernard Shaw
‘So I keep at it and everybody can see me coming with my red wheelie.’
-Persis Laverack
Are you scratching your head and asking yourself … Persis Laverack?
Meet Persis … She turned 93 yesterday! Older…Not Old!
Yes, 93! She’s taking her daily 2 mile walk! Persis drives her new 2020 pearl white Subaru to wherever she wants to go, pops the hatchback, pulls out her walker and off she goes! Persis is older…not old!
An Icon….Older Not Old…Living Life
93 Year Old Icon, Senior Citizen Cheerleader, Teacher, Writer, Entrepreneur, Communicator and Globe Trotting Mom and Grandmother. An Icon who is older, but not old!
Persis is a woman who keeps busy. She defies the myths – she’s on social media, she texts and she Zooms. And yes – there’s the 2 mile daily walks. These days she does divide them into two 1 mile walks, morning and afternoon. Her knee replacement less than two years ago slowed her down just a little. Or so she says. When I met Persis, via Zoom, for our conversation last week she was living in her summer community in Sorrento, Maine for a few weeks. And when summer is finished, she’ll be back to her retirement community in Portland, Maine.
We talked about how Covid has changed her life and how she makes sure to stay positive and engaged. Persis saw so many single women in her retirement village who appeared to be depressed during the three months that they were quarantined. Wondering how she might be able to help, Persis made it a point to reach out to them, to let them know that they were not alone.
To pass some of the time, Persis was on Facebook tracking down old friends and acquaintances. And if they were no longer around, she found their relatives and delighted them with stories that she shared. They laughed, they cried and they connected. Of course, Persis keeps in touch with them, it’s never a one-off. Listen and you’ll even hear how she tracked down one after a month long search. Because of her determination she now has a new friend in Arizona.
And Persis doesn’t give up. She is definitely persistent. You’ll discover what I mean.
Welcome to Season 5! & Episode 42 with Persis Laverack
We talked about everything. Here’s some of what you’ll hear:
- Working as a teacher starting in 1949
- African Safari at 85, Iceland at 90 and globe trotting
- Why staying positive and engaged is so important
- Half full vs half empty
- In her 90+ years – the time that stands out from all the others
- Why connecting with others is so important
- Why writing and passing on the memories are on the top of her list
- How women’s roles have changed over the years
- Her ‘red wheelie’ and how it gave her freedom
Persis Laverack…An Icon…Older, not old!
Persis and her late husband Bill started Appplewild, an Independent elementary day school in Massachusetts. She taught in the Newtown Massachusetts public schools, the Chapin School in New York City and was the Director of Admissions at the Windsor School in Boston. A graduate of Vassar College, Persis is the proud mom of Liz, a physician in Maine, Bill, a venture capitalist in Florida and Tom, Director of Financial Operations at a NYC non-profit. And let’s not forget that she is grandmother to seven.
The Podcast
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So…Stay safe, stay healthy, stay smart and always….stay tuned.