From swimming with sharks to skydiving, 88-year-old Jane Yeager inspires as Splendid Senior

Boynton Beach, FL resident chosen as first honoree in national "Splendid Seniors Among Us" program recognizing people whose post-65 activities can inspire all ages.

NASHVILLE, TN --When Jane Yeager was in her mid 70s she told her son Tom Werner she’d enjoyed snorkeling while a big, “pretty fish” swam around her. Werner glanced at the spot in the ocean where his mom had just been swimming and yelled “Mother! That pretty thing is a shark!”

 

That didn’t faze Yeager, who went on a few years later to take up skydiving, hang gliding, and whitewater rafting and kayaking—all after turning 80. Yes, the Boynton Beach, FL resident, now 88, has done more than remain active in her senior years—she’s engaged in feats that make many people decades younger quake in their sneakers.

And for that, Pearlsong Press has chosen the retired swimming instructor as the first honoree in their national program recognizing “Splendid Seniors Among Us”—people whose activities and accomplishments after age 65 can serve as inspiration to all ages.

As the first “Splendid Senior Among Us” honoree, for March 2007, Yeager will receive a certificate and an autographed copy of Splendid Seniors: Great Lives, Great Deeds by Jack Adler. The book, published by Pearlsong Press March 15, 2007, recognizes 52 people throughout history who withstood any disabilities of age to continue contributing to society well past their 65^th birthdays.

Yeager, too, has experienced physical challenges. She is hard of hearing due to eardrum damage suffered decades ago when she was “beaned” by tennis balls twice while playing that sport, Werner says. The blows burst her eardrums and affected her equilibrium as well as her hearing. She gave up tennis as a result, but still hits a pool daily to do six laps, and enjoys going to the beach as well.

“Keep active,” Yeager told Pearlsong Press publisher Peggy Elam, Ph.D., who called her Thursday, March 15 to inform her of the award. “That’s the whole answer, I think.”

But the occasional treat also fits into Yeager’s lifestyle. Elam's phone call caught her on the way out the door to get a banana split.

The “Splendid Seniors Among Us” program will honor 12 “Splendid Seniors," one a month, from March 2007 to February 2008. The year-long recognition will culminate with publication of a special Splendid Seniors Among Us Adobe PDF ebook that will be available free of charge at the Pearlsong Press website (www.pearlsong.com).

Click here for a downloadable PDF version of this press release. For a longer version of the press release, click here. For a full-size PDF of the SSAU certificate for Jane Yeager, click here.

For more information about the “Splendid Seniors Among Us” program, see the Pearlsong Press website at www.pearlsong.com.

Pearlsong Press, founded in 2003 by psychologist and journalist Peggy Elam, Ph.D, specializes in books and resources that entertain while expanding perspectives on the self and the world.