Professor Mary Elizabeth Sanders, age 93, formerly of McBath Street, died April 3, 2010, at her Foxdale Village home.
Born March 1, 1917, in Kobe, Japan, Mary was the daughter of Thomas Henry Sanders and Gertrude (Schulz) Sanders. She grew up in Cambridge, Mass., where her father was a professor at the Harvard Business School, and graduated from Cambridge High & Latin.
Mary worked throughout her career as a research scientist and science teacher, specializing in plant genetics and botany. Never married, she was devoted to her extended family and generously supported charitable organizations and schools. She earned a Bachelor's degree in History and Mathematics from Mount Holyoke College in 1938, a Master's from Cornell University in Plant Breeding in 1940, and Ph.D. from Smith College in Botany, Genetics and Organic Chemistry in 1947. After receiving her Master's at Cornell, Mary began her career as an assistant at the Carnegie Institution's Department of Genetics in Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. There she worked with Dr. Albert Blakeslee and Miss Sophie Satin, both of whom would become close friends and key influences in Mary's life and career development. After teaching in Sioux Falls, S.D., and a brief stint at Connecticut College, Mary rejoined Dr. Blakeslee at Smith College in 1943 when he became director of the Smith College Genetics Experiment Station. There, Mary assisted with research and worked toward her doctorate degree under the tutelage of Dr. Blakeslee and Miss Satin, who had accompanied him in the move to Smith. Mary then spent short periods working at Mount Holyoke and Yale before moving on to the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where she worked as an instructor and research associate from 1948 – 1954. In 1955 she joined the Agronomy Department at South Dakota State College. Funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation, she spent the next six years conducting research on the origin of the colchicine-induced diploid true-breeding mutants in sorghum with colleague Clifford Franzke. She then worked for three years at Harvard's Arnold Arboretum before joining Penn State in the Botany Department of the Mont Alto Campus in 1965. There, Mary resumed her collaboration with Franzke on sorghum genetics research. While in Mont Alto, she cared for her mother for the last six years of her life. After ten years at Mont Alto, she transferred to State College, where she taught until her retirement.
Mary sometimes felt the effects of working in a field dominated by men in the mid-twentieth century. It could manifest in subtle ways, like having her biography published in American Men of Science, or in overt acts that threatened to derail her career. Unafraid to speak truth to authority, Mary remained strong, continued to focus on her work, and demonstrated that women are not out of place in the world of scientific research. She was a disciplined researcher who believed in the hard facts that good science can unearth. Also a person of faith, Mary was a long-time member of Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church in State College. She greatly enjoyed time with family, especially during the summer in Ossipee, N.H., where the family has maintained a homestead since 1929.
Mary loved the mountains, had a wide interest in the natural world, and was an avid birder. To garden, pick blueberries, or take a woods walk with Mary was a rich and educational experience. Mary, the last of America's Greatest Generation among her siblings, was predeceased by sister, Catherine; and brothers, Thomas, John, and William. She is survived by her sister-in-law, Virginia Sanders, of Richmond, Va.; eight nieces and nephews; and many grand-nieces and grand-nephews.
All were considered immediate family, and all have benefited from Mary's love and generosity. Family came first for Mary all of her life. For information on Mary's Memorial Service, please call St. Andrew's Episcopal at 237-7659 or Foxdale Village at 238-3322. Dedicated to education, Mary donated to a number of schools through her entire life and established a fund to aid individual scholarship. In lieu of flowers, those wishing to remember Mary may contribute to the Community Foundation of the New River Valley/Mary E. Sanders Family Fund, P.O. Box 6009, Christiansburg, VA 24068 (www.cfnrv.org). Arrangements under the direction of Wetzler Funeral Service, Inc., Bellefonte.