Molly Peters

Photographer

www.mollypetersphoto.com

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Clients: Bloomberg Businessweek, The Intercept, The Wall Street Journal, High Country News, HuffPost

School: Bard College Hartford Art School

News

1 in 6 by 2030: Natalie McGee

molly peters

Sep 30, 2024

Location: Tucson, AZ

Natalie McGee has lived an extraordinary life, and she shows no sign of slowing down. At 85, she manages a 100-acre ranch of prickly pear cactus and sells their juice through her business, Arizona Cactus Ranch, which she founded in 1991. She is independent and energetic, which she credits to her daily consumption of pure prickly pear juice, often saying, “I’m 85, but I look 65, and I feel 25.” She views her work with the prickly pear juice as a natural extension of her lifelong career as a social worker – her life has been dedicated, above all, to helping people. 

Her earlier career in social work included playing an instrumental role in getting American Sign Language re-established in schools after its use had been illegal for decades, as well as a stint as Charles Manson’s therapist while he was incarcerated - something she recalls as being an easy job, compared to her advocacy work for the Deaf community.

See my full photo essay - which is also available to license - and learn more about Natalie’s life work and the many medicinal properties of prickly pears here.

This story is part of "1 in 6 by 2030," a collaborative project spearheaded by Sara Terry, Ed Kashi, and Ilvy Njiokiktjien. By 2030, 1 in 6 people will be above the age of 60. In the years leading up to that moment, participating photographers are producing stories with a different topic each year. For 2024, the essays are looking at people who are past the retirement age, showing what their lives are like, whether or not they have continued working.