'I don't do anything to bring on dying - I live day by day': Harper Lee's sister, Alice, still practicing law at 100

Though her sister Harper famously stopped granting interviews in 1964, Alice Finch Lee still talks to the public from time to time, and at 100 years old, is the oldest practicing lawyer in Alabama.

Her latest interview aired last night on PBS in a documentary about her famous sister, Harper, and her only novel – To Kill A Mockingbird.

Miss Alice, as she is called, is 15 years older than Harper, and still lives in Monroeville, Alabama – along with her law practice, she sporadically updates the public about her sister.

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Going strong: Alice Finch Lee, sister of author Harper Lee, recently celebrated her 100th birthday

Real life Atticus: She still practices law above a bank in Monroeville; in a vault below is the original manuscript of To Kill A Mockingbird

In the PBS documentary , Miss Alice said Harper drew back from the public eye in the 1960s because ‘as time went on, she said reporters began taking too many liberties with what she said.’

Harper, who is now 85, still enjoys her life away from the eyes of the press. Miss Alice told the Alabama Press-Register last year: ‘Everybody who comes to Monroeville wants to visit with Nelle, and she’s not up to that.

Magnum opus: Harper Lee wrote only one novel, To Kill A Mockingbird

'She sees her good friends and her family.’

The Press-Register said Miss Alice has become something of a gatekeeper between her sister, whom she calls Nelle, and the general public.

Miss Alice said her sister suffered a stroke which left her in a wheelchair and partially paralysed. In addition, Harper’s sight has deteriorated significantly.

Miss Alice practices law in offices on the upper floor of the Monroeville bank.



The original manuscript of her sister’s famed novel is locked deep below in one of the bank’s vaults.



She said there’s no one secret in particular to her longevity – only that she lives ‘day by day’ and ‘doesn’t do anything to bring on dying.’

The documentary, called ‘Hey Boo,’ aired on PBS as part of the American Masters series last night, and in part examines the impact of Harper’s powerful work.

Miss Alice was interviewed for five hours by Mary McDonagh Murphy for the documentary. At the time of the interview, Miss Alice was 98 and nearly deaf.

Even so, she told of her young life in Alabama, and how the Great Depression delayed her slightly when becoming a lawyer.

Her father encouraged her to join his firm after she passed the bar in 1943.



She asked how a woman would be received in a small law office, to which her father responded: ‘”You never know until you try.”’

The book, which was first published in 1960, details the goings on in the fictitious sleepy town of Maycomb, Alabama between 1932 and 1935.

Famous faces: In 2007, then-president George W. Bush awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Harper Lee

Sister, sister: Attorney Alice Lee, left, accepts birthday wishes from Monroe County Circuit Judge-elect Dawn Hare, center, and sister Harper, right, in 2006; Alice serves as a gatekeeper between the public and Harper

It is told through the eyes of Jean Louise ‘Scout’ Finch, who is a knowledgeable six-year-old tomboy who has the mind of a child but the understanding of an adult.



'I don't do anything to bring on dying - I live day by day.' -Alice Finch Lee



Among other things, the story details the trial of a black man accused of rape by a white woman.

Scout’s father, Atticus Finch, represented Tom Robinson, a 25-year-old farm worker.



Though Tom was obviously innocent, he was convicted by the all-white jury and was shot dead while trying to escape from prison.

The novel, which won the Pulitzer Prize, is considered an American classic and is often taught within schools, teaching students important lessons of race, prejudice, misrepresentation, and the loss of childhood.

Ironically, winning the Pulitzer caused the friendship between Harper and famous writer Truman Capote to deteriorate.

Capote, it was said, was the model for Charles Baker ‘Dill’ Harris, the best friend of Scout and Jem. Dill spent much of the novel trying to get reclusive Boo Radley out of his house.

He was jealous that Harper's work received the ultimate prize, and his did not.

Famous film: In the 1962 film adaptation, actor Gregory Peck, right, played attorney Atticus Finch, earning Peck an Oscar for Best Actor

No justice: In the story, Tom Robinson, seen right, is convicted of raping a white woman even though he was innocent

Harper's Bazaar: Actor Gregory Peck and novelist Harper Lee on the set of To Kill A Mockingbird, seen in 1962

After Miss Alice celebrated her 100th birthday party, she told one of her law partners that she didn’t want another party until she turned 105.

For now, she’s content to do the New York Times crossword puzzles, and falls asleep after reciting all of the U.S. presidents.

Watch video here: (Alice's interview begins near the 25-minute mark)

Watch Harper Lee: Hey, Boo on PBS. See more from American Masters.



