I think every woman should be prepared to do what they want to do. Don’t listen to anybody else and to also sorta feel out different opportunities. When I was young my father would say, "Why don’t you be a dental hygienist?" He never said, "Why don’t you be a dentist?" My brother was gonna be a doctor but I would be the dental hygienist. Women aren’t there anymore, thank God. But there weren’t many role models when I grew up of women doing that. I mean I do remember an orthodontist who was a woman who was one of my father’s friends. But he never said, "Gee why don’t you do that?" The thing is, I think women need to be exposed. I like that program where women go to work with their fathers. I think the exposure and somehow I think in high school if there’s a way that kids can get exposed to different type of things at that time -- of fields and interests that they know what they want and go from there.
Jane Fine was born in Brooklyn, New York on December 17, 1944, and attended New York University and Adelphi University where she received her Master’s degree in education. She began her real estate business of Fine Properties Inc. during her first marriage when she needed to make money to support her three children. After her divorce from her first husband, Jane moved to Worcester with her three children where she lived for many years on Berry Road and in a condo at Salisbury West for fifteen years after that. In this interview, Jane discusses the struggles of being a single mother in Worcester and the opportunities the city offered for her to survive on her own. She elaborates on the difficulty of her divorce and the obstacles she was faced with. Jane touches on her accomplishments as a businesswoman in a thriving city as well as the challenges she has faced in the real estate world. Jane also shares the importance of her Jewish upbringing as well as how her religion has had a significant impact in her life. In this interview, Jane reveals her involvement with various charities and organizations and their role in her life.