The headline for fellow Yorkblogger Gordon Freireich's post about the death of noted York Sunday News columnist Mary Stephenson captured her well: "Mary Stephenson, loss of a character."
Mary Stephenson, who died recently at the age of 89, was just one of those folks who everybody seems to know.
Walk down the street with Mary, and it becomes an hour-long endeavor as people stop to talk with her, Freireich wrote.
He wrote:
"Mary was a true York character."York needs more true characters.
"Mary will be missed."
Mary was included in the 1980s AAUW publication "Legacies," which profiled prominent 20th-century York County women.
For those who did not know Mary, here's a bit more about her from that publication and a York Sunday News story (3/18/07) about achieving York County women:
Mary Gorman StephensonBorn: 1920
Family: Late husband, Charles; sons, Robert and Richard; daughter, Kathleen
Known for: Community journalism
Education: 1938 graduate of St. Clair High School, certificate from Thompson Business Institute
Occupation: Women's editor of the York Sunday News from 1964 to 1989, columnist from 1989 to 2005. She also worked at the Child Guidance Center, York Welcome Wagon, York College library.
Honors/awards/recognition: Honorary membership in Delta Kappa Gamma Society for women educators, Communications Matrix Awards in 1979, 1980 and 1981. Listed in the 1982 edition of "The World Who's Who of Women."
Community involvement: Charter member and past president of the Central Pennsylvania chapter of Women in Communication, Inc. Chairwoman of a committee that raised money to preserve the Barnett Bobb log house. Served on a task force for the study of traffic and police in Springettsbury Township. Past president of the Young Women's Club and of Alpha Iota business sorority. Involved in Central York High School's foreign exchange program. A supporter of community theater.Excerpt from " Legacies": "To those who know her, Mary Stephenson is a rare and magical person with a style all her own. . . . (She) cares deeply about York and its people. . . . She is a talented woman who brings her special touch to her work and her community."
Also of interest:
A short test of your women's history knowledge..
All York County women's history posts from the start..
Leave a comment