Jennie Elizabeth Beatie, born January 3, 1893, was the middle girl of a family of five girls and seven boys. Her parents, John and Alice Ellen Hawes Beatie had a ranch on Cow Creek across the Sacramento River from Anderson. Jennie attended the one room school near their home and did her share of chores; she did resent doing the boys chores when they were out "adventuring" with the threshing crew. Then she followed her older sisters to the Normal School in Stockton.
When John's health was failing, Alice Ellen moved all the family still living at home to Stockton. Jennie moved in with her family for part of one year before taking a teaching position at Knight's Ferry on the Stanislaus River. She loved the social life (her beaus included the sheriff, owner of the only automobile in town and a farmer with a pair of matched bays) Working in hotels and resorts in the summer, she then taught four years in Turlock.
But she wanted more of a career in education so she enrolled at Occidental
College and before she finished, she had a B. A. in Education, a credential
in Home Economics and one in Institutional Management. She chose a Boy's
school in Hawaii to use these credentials and during her two years there
managed to upgrade both diet and living standards for the boys.
Introducing new ideas is seldom popular, so her move to another institution
was approved by all those involved.
At a party on Waikiki Beach, an Irish girl suddenly said, "Your name doesn't fit you; we shall call you Jane." And from then on, even family members called her Jane.
Volunteer work at Bishop Museum introduced her to shell collectors and Ted Drango; they went beachcombing (literally) and also hunted for land shells which were found all over the islands. Jane found an unknown land shell which was named for her, Amastra Janeae.
Once when they were out driving, Ted demonstrated his courage by helping to rescue a girl who had jumped off the Pali, a cliff of historical significance to Hawaiians. Jane and Ted were married for two or three years during which time they went to Samoa, living in native huts and trading with the Samoans for shells as well as hunting for shells in the jungle and in the ocean. They both returned to Honolulu, suffering with tropical fevers.
The "civilized" part of the trip was a few nights in the hotel made famous by Somerset Maugham's story 'Miss Thompson" which was the basis of the stage play "Rain" and Joan Crawford's movie version, "Sadie Thompson.
In all, Jane spent fifteen years in the islands'; She married Clarence C. Robinson, in Augusta Maine, June 26, 1942. He was affiliated with social service organization and they traveled extensively--Retiring to live at Santa Cruz. Her nieces and nephews remember going bird-watching with Aunt Jane.
Jane died near her family, in Stockton, November 14, 1973.
Source: Shasta Historical Society - August 1996
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