March 9, 2020
When asked what she enjoyed most about turning 100-years-old, Hertha Webb Glenn says “…the fun of seeing myself on television. I’m not a television star. And right now I’m enjoying being a celebrity.”
Her big moment in the spotlight came when an Austin TV station broadcast footage of a birthday party family and friends threw for her in January when she hit the century mark.
After the story aired, Ms. Glenn, who was an educator for nearly 60 years, heard from many of her former students who told her of the positive impact she had on their young lives. “It made me feel good. I had done something for someone that’s caused them to remember me and I’m vain enough to be proud to be remembered,” she says with a chuckle.
Her teaching days now behind her, Ms. Glenn lives alone in the Northeast Austin house she and her late husband bought nearly 50 years ago. She relies on our nutritious meals, hand-delivered by dedicated volunteers, to help her live independently. “It is difficult to cook for myself. I can be sure that I have a well-balanced meal with Meals on Wheels. Without Meals on Wheels, I don’t think I would be as healthy,” she explains. But she also enjoys visiting with the volunteers who deliver her lunch - “I look forward to seeing the people along with getting the meals. I enjoy that. It’s contact with the outside. I don’t know many of my neighbors anymore.”
“Meals on Wheels Central Texas is a great contribution to my joy of everyday life. I think it has helped more senior citizens than any other free organization there is,” Ms. Glenn says before adding “I think God provides when you depend on Him and try to do as He as ordered. And I think He provided Meals on Wheels for me.”