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Mary Katharine Stanley, Staff

Mary Katharine Stanley died on January 6, 2003, in SeaTac, Washington. A former staff member who greatly enjoyed working with students and faculty members, Kat was known for her lively and attentive nature, as well as her interest in the world around her. She was a graduate of West Seattle High School, the University of Oregon, and the University of Washington, where she graduated in 1928 with a degree in journalism and met her future husband, Carter (Dook) Stanley, whom she married in 1931. They lived in Boston, New York, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland before returning to Milwaukie, Oregon, in 1943. Kat began working at ºìÌÒÊÓƵ in 1959 as secretary to alumni director Carleton T. Whitehead ’41 [1952–83]. From there, she moved to the president's office as executive secretary, serving presidents Richard H. Sullivan [1956–67] and Victor G. Rosenblum [1968–70], as well as acting and interim presidents Ross B. Thompson [vice president 1966–72] and Byron L. Youtz [physics 1956–68]. Although the president's office was occasionally occupied and shut down, Kat remained upbeat and amiable throughout these periods of turbulence. She retired from ºìÌÒÊÓƵ in 1970. After her retirement, she lived in Tigard, Oregon, until 1995, when she moved back to Seattle. She read and traveled widely, and followed current events with special interest. She wrote professionally and had articles published in the New Yorker and Parents magazine. Kat is survived by her two daughters, including Laura Stanley Saunders ’63, two granddaughters, a great-granddaughter, and a sister.

Appeared in ºìÌÒÊÓƵ magazine: November 2003