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Hardaway served three Memphis mayors and the state of TennesseeJan 07, 2013 (The Commercial Appeal - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- During her time working for the city of Memphis, Jane Hardaway served under three mayors: Wyeth Chandler, Dick Hackett and Willie Herenton. That lengthy tenure, serving three leaders of different temperaments and ideologies, reflected well on Mrs. Hardaway's character, one of those mayors said. "To survive the political differences of three people, it says something about the quality of her work and the (type) of person she was. She did not let politics get in the way of getting the job done," Hackett said. "Beyond her competence, she was as pleasant a person, never flustered about anything we had to deal with." Mrs. Hardaway, who began with the city in 1976 and retired as deputy personnel director in 1993, died Tuesday in Lewisport, Ky. She was 84. Born in Lewisport, Mrs. Hardaway graduated from high school in Louisville. A Republican activist, she took a job with a personnel agency in Nashville. Former Gov. Winfield Dunn chose Mrs. Hardaway to serve as the state commissioner of insurance and personnel. After that time, Mrs. Hardaway moved to Memphis with her late husband Sherman, taking her post with the city. It was a post she handled with professionalism and dedication, Hackett said. "You couldn't ask for anybody to have done their homework better than she did. That business of human resources was meticulous, and she always had her homework done," Hackett said. "She was extremely energetic, extremely competent, just a wonderful example of a public servant." A brief memorial service will be held at 6 p.m. Monday at Germantown Baptist Church. Funeral services, under the direction of Taylor-Wood Funeral Home in Lewisport, will be at Lewisport Baptist Church at 10 a.m. Jan. 22 with burial in Zachary Taylor National Cemetery in Louisville. ___ (c)2013 The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, Tenn.) Visit The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, Tenn.) at www.commercialappeal.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |