By Rachel Haynie 

Faye Trueblood, who will turn 102 this year, explains to medical students that people are living longer and doctors need to know how to deal with them. Photo courtesy of Richland County Public Library

Some say young people just won’t listen. Faye Trueblood disagrees. For several years she has had the willing ear of young aspiring physicians enrolled at USC School of Medicine.

Trueblood, who will turn 102 this year, shares with the medical students she mentors what it’s like to be her age. “We are living longer now,” she said of generations born early in the 20th century, “and young doctors, especially first year medical students, need to know how to deal with us, so they asked me to participate in this program.”

 USC School of Medicine was one of 20 colleges in the US to receive a grant for the establishment of such a mentoring program. Last fall Parade magazine covered the program, and Trueblood was one of the participants featured. The cross–generational mentoring program also has been featured on a CBS newscast with Dan Rather, so Trueblood’s wisdom has become legend.

 Although the Wildewood Downs resident and Bible Studies teacher is now in the fourth year of the four–year mentoring program to which she agreed initially, she has offered to sign on for another four–year gig.