PEOPLE: KEEPING BUSY KEY TO LIVING A LONG TIME

People wanting to live to be a centenarian can look to a Cape Girardeau woman for advice.

Myrtle Hurst, a former schoolteacher from Monette, Ark., turned 106 Wednesday. As she sat primly with her hands folded in her lap, she explained that living that long was a surprise.

"I never thought I'd live to be 106 years old," she said. "I thought I'd live to be about 50."

The secret to her longevity: "Working hard and keeping busy," she said with a quiet chuckle.

Family members who celebrated with Hurst at the Ratliff Care Center said they were not surprised at her age because her sister, Stella Green, also lived to be 106.

Hurst, who family members say has never drunk alcohol or used tobacco, lived at her home in Arkansas until October, when she moved to Cape Girardeau to be closer to her granddaughter, Pat Robert.

She was born Dec. 6, 1894, in West Vienna, Ill., and moved to Arkansas when she was 16.

Hurst started out teaching 12 grades of students in a one-room schoolhouse. In those days, she said, a person took a teaching examination and got a certificate.

"I just loved the children," she said. "Every child had a special interest. Every child has the ability to do something if you give them a chance to bring it out. That's what I did."

Sadly, Hurst's husband, Oliver, died when he was 30. She continued teaching, later realizing she wanted to earn her college degree.

That determination led Hurst to Arkansas State University, where she took classes during school vacations and finally earned a teaching degree at the age 59.

She had five children, all of whom preceded her in death.