KANSAS CITY, Mo. — If you drive near the KSHB 41 News station, you might pass by Anthology of the Plaza and think nothing of it.
But inside that senior living facility, and others like it, are people with stories to share – stories that don’t often get a platform like ours.
One of those stories comes from Jeanne Levin, who turned 100 years old in June.
She started studying bacteriology at the University of Maryland in 1941.
With World War II going on, Levin was not the only woman on campus. But she said it was rare to see other women studying science.
“Most of them were taking social studies and English majors and teaching and all that," Levin said. "I was the only one who spent hours and hours in the laboratory. I didn’t care. I was going to be a career woman.”
After spending her career researching antibiotics at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Levin took a break when she had kids.
But after a 30-year break, she wanted to rejoin the workforce.
“I used to tell my husband, I’ve had enough of luncheons and bridge games and meeting the girls and all that stuff. I said, 'I need something', and this fortunately sort of fell in my lap,” Levin said.
What fell in her lap was a job back at Walter Reed, this time at their medical museum. She gave tours for students in 5th grade and older to teach them about the human body.
Levin went back to work at age 60 and worked there for nearly two decades.
During the height of the pandemic, Levin moved to Kansas City to be close to her daughter, Cynthia.
Cynthia said her mom’s passion for her work, inspired Cynthia to pursue her own dreams.
“I run a theater, my brother was a concert violinist," Cynthia said. "We went into fields that were different, much like my mother did at the time when she was choosing a field. There was a bigger focus to do something that mattered, to make a difference. That really resonated with me, that I did want to change the world.”
Cynthia’s mother did change the world – researching one antibiotic at a time.
“You can always contribute something,” Levin said. “Doesn’t have to be inventing a new drug or anything, but you can contribute to helping to invent that thing, just by what you’re doing. I mean, everyone can add a little bit to that.”
We want to share more stories like this one. If you know about something good in our community that you think deserves a spotlight, post it on social media using #GoodNews41. We may reach out to share your story on air and online.
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