A 1965 graduate from LaSalle High School, Mary was Co-Valedictorian and a member of the National Honor Society. She earned her BA in 1969 and received a PhD in 1981 from the University of lowa. Mary also spent over thirty years as an educator in the Cedar Rapids Public School System. She was one of the youngest women to become a principal in the state of lowa and has since been named Outstanding Secondary Educator for the Cedar Rapids Schools. Mary also assumed a role as co-founder of Optacon Foundation of Iowa, which provides computers and software for visually handicapped students.