Thanks for the memories

Bessie Mae Jackson

Bessie Mae Jackson turns 100 in February. She is up by 4 a.m. each morning as The News-Star is delivered. She starts every morning with coffee and reads the paper from cover to cover. She reads every word in every story from news to sports. Then she works on the crossword puzzle.

1. When did you start reading The News-Star?

I started reading way back in the 1920s. I was about 10, and we read it every day at school. I can remember going around helping others read. Reading was easy for me because I knew the words, and when one would hold up their hand the teacher had me go over and tell them what word that was.

2. What role has the newspaper played in your life?

I've kept up with the news with it, and that's the best part about it. I grab the paper as soon as it comes.

3. What is the biggest news story you remember reading in the paper?

One of the biggest stories I remember was the first time anybody has ever flown across the ocean (Charles Lindbergh's flight across the Atlantic in 1927). It was big news. I remember that because it was the first time someone flew across the ocean. I remember reading about the Lindbergh kidnapping. I remember the papers from the 1927 and 1932 floods.

4. Have you saved any clippings or papers over the years because they were special to you?

I have clippings dating back to the 1960s. The first moon landing, the bicentennial that was printed with the Constitution, the resignation of President (Richard Nixon).

5. Why is the daily newspaper important to you?

The headlines, the news, and my puzzle ... I read all the words off the paper, from cover to cover. It's important to get the daily news and learn about everything that's happened overnight while I slept.