- Date Of Birth: July 4, 1925
- Date Of Death: April 5, 2013
- State: Michigan
Mary Jane McLaughlin died April 5, 2013, at the Bickford Cottage in Portage, Michigan. Throughout her life she had pushed the boundaries of what was culturally acceptable for the women of her generation, throwing herself into many activities that impacted her and those around her. As a young woman, Mary Jane became interested in radio production and was the first program director for Syracuse University’s fledgling radio station in Syracuse, N.Y.
After graduating she worked at WHAM in Rochester, N.Y., where she became director of public service and wrote and edited the public service programming. After filling a variety of secretarial jobs, she completed a Master’s degree in English and later worked at the University of Iowa helping people write applications for grants for arts projects. She was successful in bringing many grants to the university, including money to renovate the Old Capitol Building on the campus. Mary Jane was active in the community theater life of Iowa City. She acted, playing lead roles in King Lear and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and became president of the Children’s Theater.
In the early 1960s she moved with her husband John and their children to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where she was hired in the office of the university president to create the school’s first course catalog. It was a painstaking task requiring her to contact every department and record existing courses and all their pertinent details. While in Ethiopia she also directed a puppet show of “The Wizard of Oz” for the children of Emperor Haile Selassie, which was so well received that additional performances had to be scheduled. And she became a passionate lover of tennis, taking up the game with tremendous enthusiasm.
She played until her arthritis made it too painful, and actively followed the game until the end of her life. While learning to play tennis, she and husband John became good friends with their Eritrean tennis instructor, Haile Kidane, Long time tennis champion of Ethiopia. They developed a long association which continues today. In the early 1970’s Mary Jane and John opened their home to his oldest son Dawit, so he could finish high school when the volatile political situation in Ethiopia put Haile and his family at risk. Mary Jane loved Ethiopia and cherished the time that she spent there.
She volunteered her time to read to blind students at the University who depended on people like her to help them access their material. She also developed a touching relationship with a leper who chose as his place to beg for food and money the grocery store where Mary Jane shopped. She made sure to give him something every time she shopped, and his appreciation was evident in the help and respect he gave her every time he saw her.
In addition to playing tennis, Mary Jane enjoyed skiing, canoeing and rock climbing. She made several trips to the Tetons in Wyoming, attempting once to climb the Grand Teton, but was turned back by lightning. She also successfully climbed Mt. Rainier with her husband and youngest son, helping to continue her family tradition of climbing the mountain. After retiring, Mary Jane decided to continue her education and completed a second master’s degree in Archaeology at the age of 70. The highlight was the numerous trips she made to Mexico to participate in digs outside of Mexico City.
Mary Jane was devoted to her husband John, with whom she was married for 63 years. She is survived by children, Kathryn Drinkard of Springfield, Va., Michael McLaughlin of Webster, N.Y., Douglas McLaughlin of Mattawan, Mich., and Dawit Kidane of Iowa City, Ia., as well as seven grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.
