reason for the siblings' mental acuity at an old age. The second is a gene that slows metabolism as a result of a mildly underactive thyroid gland. The last is a mutation in axis, a human growth hormone that could possibly protect against age-related diseases, such as cancer. Trivia Reichert confessed that there is no reason why she should have lived as long as she did. She hated vegetables, getting up early, and most things associated with living a healthy lifestyle. She loved rare hamburgers, chocolate, cocktails, and nightlife in New York, including exotic restaurants, Broadway shows, movies, and the Metropolitan Opera. She smoked for over eighty years. Reichert saw Albert Einstein eating Jell-O in a Princeton dining hall. References External links https://www.nytimes.com/keyword/montgomery-ward http://www.med.cornell.edu/archives/pdf/personal_aids/Reichert.pdf The Helen Faith Keane collection at the University of Maryland Libraries 1901 births 2011 deaths Television personalities from New York City Cornell University alumni New York University faculty American broadcasters American centenarians Teachers College, Columbia University alumni Women centenarians