Jane McRae

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Jane Hewitt Mcrae, October 27, 1920 - November 23, 2015, was the granddaughter of Robert Greene Hewitt, founder of Trussville Academy, which later became Hewitt-Trussville High School. She married F. L. "Mac" McRae in 1942.

A graduate of Ramsay High School, she attended Birmingham-Southern College in 1938 for one year, but withdrew due to financial issues. In 1966 she returned to Birmingham-Southern, earning her undergraduate degree at age 46. Because there was no American Library Association accredited library science degree offered in Alabama, McRae pursued it at Florida State University, graduating with a Master of Library Science in 1969.

McRae became a licensed pilot in the WWII era, working in air traffic control in Miami, Florida, after women were banned from flying for the military. She was a member of the Ninety-Nines, International Organization of Women Pilots.

Before her retirement in 1986, she worked for the Vestavia Hills School System, where she headed the libraries of Pizitz Middle School and Vestavia Hills High School and was named a National Teacher of the Year. She was president of the Alabama Library Association in 1982 - 1983.

After her retirement, she signed up for three years in the Peace Corps. She traveled to Jamaica, where she helped open libraries in Kingston, St. Ann and Montego Bay.

She was also an avid hiker who visited mountain summits in Montana, Canada, and Nepal.

McRae had four children: Malcolm, Amanda, Robin and Kim. Malcolm McRae was a well-known businessman in Five Points South who was murdered in 1983. She was a member of Highlands United Methodist Church.

References

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