Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Mary Gardiner Jones


(Mary Gardiner Jones died on December 23, 2009, she was on the OWL Board of Directors from 1988-1992)

Mary’s death is a great loss, but her life was an enormous gift to all who were touched by her. She was a brave advocate for justice who was stalwart in the face of injustice. She worked prodigiously to right wrongs, and to smooth the path for persons who were disadvantaged. She was generous, compassionate, brilliant and stubbornly determined.

It was my honor to encourage Mary to run for election to the Board of OWL (Older Women’s League) on which she served with conviction. Among her contributions was her dedication to promoting a more diversified membership. She initiated a survey to help the Board understand the unique problems of older women who were Black or Latino.

I admired Mary’s knowledge, breadth of experience and energy. I loved Mary for her warmth, her courage in the face of opposition, her insights on the need for change and her continuing push for self understanding. She was my friend.

-- Lou Glasse (Past President of OWL)

Her full obituary is here:
http://charles-watkins.com/mary/obit.htm