‘Computer lady’ aids fellow seniors in changing world

Nancy Jenkins pinned a card to a bulletin board at the 55-and-over community where she lives.

“Do you need computer help?” it read at the top. The residents there often do.

Seniors are comfortable asking Nancy for help because, at 77, she’s one of them.

When Nancy enrolled at UCLA in 1962, she worked in the undergraduate library, where IBM technicians trained her to run and program new automation machines. She worked at the library for two years before she married and had two boys.

Her husband bought her IBM’s first Selectric typewriter to type his doctoral thesis. She taught herself to fix it.

When they divorced, Nancy worked for a credit union on a timeshare computer, and then at a library, doing word processing.

Technicians from Wang Laboratories, the company that made her word processor, would ask Nancy to test new software and encouraged her to come work with them.

She did, from 1981 to 1985. She moved to Phoenix in 1986 and started her business, High Tech Office Systems, building custom computers, installing hardware and software and setting up networks.

Her clients would say, “Ah, the computer lady is here” so often she changed the name of her business to “The Computer Lady” and dressed all in pink.

These days, she helps clients set up devices, removes viruses, transfers data, consults on upgrades and purchases and provides training.

“I have a gift of being able to go in and think like the computer and figure out what is going on,” Nancy said.

Technology can be intimidating. But she encourages seniors to delve in, stay informed, keep in touch with family and friends, shop, make travel plans, and download e-books.

“Shoot, there’s games and entertainment they can do that keeps them occupied and keeps their minds busy,” she said.

Because you’re never too old to learn.