By Freda Freeman
Correspondent
DURHAM – Lillie Lane has always found a way to “work it out.” She found a way as a young girl working in cotton and tobacco fields to business school to working for the federal government. Lane chronicles her story of scarcity to success in her autobiography, “From Humble Beginnings: A Woman’s Will to Succeed.”
Lane shared her story at a book signing Oct. 5 at the Ivy Community Center. She was surrounded by family, friends and former co-workers, from near and far, who described her as independent, determined, energetic and the epitome of a phenomenal woman.
The sixth of 14 children, Lane grew up in a family with limited resources, however, she said she never used it as an excuse. Instead, shaped by the values instilled in her by her parents, she looked beyond her circumstances and realized “your potential is not determined by your past but by your hard work and will to succeed.”
Lane’s story is one of overcoming obstacles and seizing opportunities. After graduating from high school, she didn’t have money to pay for college, but she didn’t want to stay in her hometown in Georgia with limited opportunities. “I thought, you know, I’m not going to pick cotton the rest of my life, and I’m not going to work in tobacco the rest of my life, so what am I going to do,” she said.
Lane wrote her oldest sister, who sent her a bus ticket to Florida, where she attended a two-year business school. From there, she began building her career. “I can work it out. I’ve been working it out my whole life,” she said.
Lane earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in administration and supervision. Her career spanned more than 30 years working for the federal government.
Overcoming many challenges throughout her life, Lane learned to repeatedly “turn a negative into a positive.” She said: “See, when you’re in the right, and you know you right, you stay humble and deal with the situation, it will work out. All of my problems — and I’ve had many of them — I dealt with them that way.”
Lane said the first thing she does each morning is thank God for waking her up. She then cites her daily affirmation: “‘I want to be better today than I was yesterday.’ If I’m better today than I was yesterday, I’m going to stay focused.”
As part of her legacy, Lane wants to be remembered for helping others, whether it’s planting a free community garden like her father did to stressing the importance of education, putting her children through college and encouraging others to do the same.
Helping others, she said, “is in our DNA.”
