Jill Rumbley Beam is a fifth-generation Texas native who enjoyed a career managing special events for the City of Dallas Parks and Recreation Department.
The job kept her busy running local festivals, managing 42 recreation centers, 27 community pools, several rental facilities and 435 city parks.
It was an ideal job for Jill, who moved to Dallas when she was 6 years old. Her parents were prominent members of the community, which meant Jill grew up in the spotlight.
Her father played in the Fort Worth Symphony for more than 40 years, and her mother taught at Dallas Baptist University before becoming a full-time public speaker.
While her parents’ name may have opened doors for Jill, her work ethic kept them open. Toward the end of her civil service career, she was put in charge of a customer service initiative that required her to train 13,000 city employees. That experience alone expanded her network of influential people in and around the Dallas area.
Rewired, not retired
In 2015, Jill decided it was time for her to “rewire,” rather than retire. She switched jobs and went to work for several nearby communities to direct senior programs and wellness activities. At the same time, Jill started working on developing herself into an entertainer, speaker and book reviewer.
Reviewing books is something her mother, Rosemary, had done for years. Since her mom had such a tremendous following, expectations were high for Jill when she ventured into reviewing books as well.
There are dozens of book reviewers in the Dallas area who speak at book clubs that have been in existence for decades. The reviewers pick one or two books to review every year, then visit the clubs to entice people to read the book themselves.
“My parents were involved in theater and music for years, so that’s where my passion lies,” Jill explained. “The first book I reviewed was “How Crafting Saved My Life,” by Sutton Foster. She was my favorite actress on the Broadway scene.
“This year, I chose to review ‘How to be Lovely: The Audrey Hepburn Way of Life,’ by Melissa Hellstern,” she added. “I already decided the next book I’ll review is ‘The Secret Life of the American Musical: How Broadway Shows Are Built‘ by Jack Viertel.
“Rather than talking to the performers, he gathered secrets by talking to ushers, backstage hands, costumers and hairdressers,” said Jill. “It’s a fascinating glimpse at what goes on behind the scenes of the great Broadway musicals.”
The clubs pay people, like Jill, to speak at their events. Because Jill is an entertainer at heart, her presentations are often memorable for her delivery style as well as their content.
“A lot of retirement communities, churches and women’s organizations in Dallas have book clubs where members select a book to read, then come together to talk about it,” she explained. “The clubs invite me to talk about the book I’ve chosen to review. The audience is usually avid readers who are always looking for a good book to read.”
Find a hobby to get passionate about
Jill loves to put smiles on the faces of people she’s speaking to. The most appealing aspect of rewiring herself was to find something she was truly passionate about doing. In Jill’s case, that was entertaining.
“I have always loved the theater, ever since I went to Dallas Baptist University and appeared in my mother’s musicals,” she explained. “When I retired, I knew I wanted to do something that allowed me to entertain people.”
In fact, Jill got a chance to perform with her mother a few years ago in a local production of “The Spectacular Follies,” which is a variety show especially suited for people over the age of 55.
“We have a wonderful artistic director who helped us put on a great show,” she explained. “This year, we did “The Seventies – Staying Alive.” Last year, we did “Return to the Fifties,” and the year before, the theme focused on the 60s.
“The cast consists of 100 people, including dancers, singers, musicians and stand-up comedians,” said Jill. “It’s a great way for people to live out what they’re passionate about doing, whether singing, acting or dancing. The key to rewiring yourself is to do something you are passionate about.”
After reading Sutton Foster’s book, Jill learned three important lessons.
“First, always say yes, no matter how far out of your comfort zone that yes answer might be. You just need to get out of your box and do something different,” she explained.
“The second lesson is to always trust your gut,” Jill added. “The third is to find a hobby you are passionate about. For me, I’m passionate about reviewing books, and it helps pay some of my bills.”
Yes, you can teach an old dog new tricks
Jill said she firmly disagrees with the old adage that you can’t teach old dogs new tricks.
“I play the flute because, needless to say, being the child of a professional musician, I really didn’t have a choice whether or not I wanted to play an instrument,” she explained. “I’ve been playing the flute since the third grade, and still play it while performing my book reviews.
“I often run into people who tell me, ‘I used to play the flute,’ and I remind them, if they enjoyed it, then they need to play again,” she added.
Jill is a twirler as well, and belongs to a group of women who like to twirl for fun. Many of the members were twirlers back in high school and never thought they’d pick it up again.
“The lady who is in charge of our group is 85 years old and continues to twirl. She demonstrates it’s not too late to do that,” said Jill. “Whatever you enjoyed doing in high school or even junior high, there are still lots of opportunities for you to do it again.”
She recalls encountering a group of older women who liked to perform in parades as the Red Hot Mamas.
“They dress in red and wear wigs while performing in parades while kicking up their legs rather high,” said Jill. “Some of them still do cartwheels.
“My philosophy is that every day you wake up, you need to learn to do something new because life is an education, even when we are past 50, 60 or even later,” she added.
Pageant performer
One of the most rewarding endeavors Jill was involved in was competing in the Ms. Texas Senior America Pageant. Ironically, it is an annual event for which her mother served as emcee between 1995 and 2013.
“As a kid, I always loved pageants and never missed an opportunity to watch one,” she admitted. “I always wanted to be in a pageant, but my mother discouraged me from entering because she did not consider herself to be a typical pageant mother.
“When the woman who started the pageant wanted to retire, she asked my mother to take over the event,” said Jill. “However, my mother really didn’t have time to take on a big project because of the many speaking engagements on her calendar.
“My mother recommended that I take over the pageant, which I did in 2013 when I became the director,” she explained. “In September 2015, I turned 60, which is the age when you qualify to be in the pageant. So, I decided to compete instead.”
Contestants in the Ms. Senior America pageant compete in four categories: philosophy of life, evening gown, interview with the judges, and talent.
“I entered the pageant in 2015 and won the title of Ms. Texas Senior America,” said Jill. “That allowed me to travel to Atlantic City, N.J., to compete for the national title. I got into the Top 10, for which I was very proud.”
The Ms. Senior America Pageant was developed by Al Mott, who was the activity director at a retirement community. He was very passionate about promoting physical and mental well-being in women over 60.
“He called it the Age of Elegance,” said Jill. “That’s not a time to just sit around and do nothing. You need to be active. So, he started the pageant, which continues to thrive today.
“I loved competing, even though I still had butterflies and nerves,” she explained. “There were 23 contestants the year I competed in Texas.
“The contestants create what’s called a sisterhood, and we are referred to as a class by the year we competed,” she added. “I was in 2015, and I still keep in touch with the ladies who competed at the national level that year. The sisterhood lasts a lifetime.
Song and dance routine
For the talent portion of the competition, Jill opted to perform a song from the Broadway musical “The Drowsy Chaperone.” It was written in the 1920s and features songs from the 20s and 30s.
“In the show, the big star was played by Sutton Foster, who decides she wants to leave the show to get married,” Jill explained. “She performs a song titled, ‘I Don’t Want to Show Off No More.’ That show, and especially that song, have special meaning for me.
“For 20 years, my mother and I would go to Broadway and cram three musicals into two days,” Jill recalled. “After seeing the show on Broadway, I told my mother that I didn’t know when or where, but someday I would perform that song.
“When it came time to select something for the talent competition, I worked with my choreographer to perform that song,” she explained. “In the original show, the actress sings, does cartwheels, flips, twirls plates and even plays music on glasses half full of water.
“My choreographer said I probably couldn’t do a cartwheel or the splits, but she convinced me to pull out all the stops in developing a routine,” said Jill. “I sang, played the piccolo, twirled a baton and tap danced. It was so much fun.”
Public appearances
After winning the title Ms. Texas Senior America, Jill automatically became a member of the Texas Cameo Club. The group frequently makes appearances at retirement communities, civic clubs, senior centers and at community festivals.
“It’s a great opportunity for people who love to perform,” she explained. “I was still working for the City of Louisville, Texas, when I won the competition. They were very supportive and I was able to make a lot of appearances in Louisville and Dallas, too.
“I got to appear in many parades, especially the State Fair Parade in downtown Dallas,” she added.
The public appearances prepared Jill for the next chapter of her career, that of being a published author.
‘Growing Up Rumbley’
“For many years, people had been asking me what it was like to grow up as the daughter of Jack and Rosemary Rumbley,” said Jill. “My mother should have been a stand-up comic because her sense of humor is amazing, even at 91.
“I had developed a program in honor of my mother called, ‘Laughter for the Health of it.’ In the presentation, I discuss the importance of laughter and incorporate my flute into the talk,” she explained. “I also perform bits from several musicals as well as several family punchlines into my talks.
“I was asked by a local retirement community to put on a program for their residents,” said Jill. “But, the activities director didn’t want me to do ‘Laughter for the Health of it.’ She wanted me to talk about what it was like being the daughter of Jack and Rosemary Rumbley.
“So, I wrote a speech about that experience and shared it with several retirement communities because many people knew about my mother and father,” she added.
Jill’s presentation was a big hit. A short time later, she met Phyllis Jenkins, who founded a nonprofit organization called Powerful Journey. Its mission is to encourage people to share their stories with the world.
“Phyllis encouraged me to craft my presentation into a book about growing up as the daughter of a locally-famous couple,” said Jill. “Even though people outside of the Dallas area may not know my parents, I still titled the book, ‘Growing up Rumbley‘ based on my maiden name because that’s who I am.
“I expanded my abbreviated speech for senior centers into a full book about my experiences and lessons my parents taught me,” she added.
Shortly after launching the project, Jill fractured her left femur, which left her sidelined while waiting for her leg to heal. She took advantage of the downtime to write the book in two months.
Public speaking
In addition to talking about her book, Jill developed several other presentations for community organizations. One is titled “You’re Never Too Old to Rock and Roll,” and it’s one of her favorites to present before groups of older adults.
“I describe people who really came into their prime later in life,” said Jill. “I mention Pablo Picasso, who was on the cover of National Geographic at the age of 91 with his painting Guernica behind him.
“I talk about Grandma Moses, who started painting at 78,” she added. “I talk about actresses who enjoyed success when they were older, like Carol Channing and Angela Lansbury, as well as writers who were published later in life.”
Another of Jill’s favorite presentations is one called “Musicology,” which uses lyrics from songs popular 50 to 60 years ago. For example, Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World” talks about things people often take for granted.
Adopting a life philosophy
As a woman of faith, Jill built her life on the foundation of Matthew 6:34, in which Jesus encourages his disciples by saying, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
“That passage was ingrained in me as a child. My parents taught me to live each day to the fullest and not to waste time thinking about what happened in the past or what could happen tomorrow,” said Jill. “Just live each day to the fullest.
“Another philosophy of life asks, ‘What good is sitting alone in a room,'” she added. “Life is a cabaret. It’s like a Broadway musical with a lot of intermissions along the way.
“Life is not always easy. It has many ups and downs, but that’s what makes it interesting,” she explained. “In the movie ‘Gran Torino,’ Clint Eastwood’s character is quoted as saying, ‘Tomorrow is promised to no one.’
“I tell people that life has no remote control. If you want to change it, you have to get up and change it yourself,” said Jill. “Everyone has a passion about something, no matter if it was when you were younger or even older. You can always turn back to it regardless of your age and enjoy life.”
She cited pickleball as an example. It’s a national craze at the moment. Even if someone is too old to compete in pickleball tournaments, he or she can teach people how to play.
For more information
People can connect with Jill at:
- Website = www.jazzinjill.com
- Email = jazzinjill@aol.com
- Facebook = www.facebook.com/jkb0287
“Growing Up Rumbley” is available on Amazon and other bookstores.
If you order a book from a link above, Forward From 50 may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
After closing his business and enduring several painful years of uncertainty regarding what to do with his life, Greg founded Forward From 50 to help men and women over 50 to live more purposeful lives by pursuing things they are passionate about. A Wisconsin native, Greg currently lives in Arizona.