Skip to content

Biography · Education & Scholarship

Mary McHenry

1933–2021

United States

BIOGRAPHYPortrait not availableExplore the life, work and source references.
Visit the source record ↗

Biography

Mary McHenry (née Mary Elizabeth Williamson, formerly Murphy; January 23, 1933 – March 1, 2021) was "credited with bringing African-American literature to Mount Holyoke College," where she taught from 1974 to 1988, retiring as Emeritus Professor of English. McHenry introduced her student, future Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks, to Five Colleges faculty member James Baldwin during the 1980s. Parks referred to McHenry as her favorite English teacher at Mount Holyoke College.

Sources & collection details

Wikipedia contributors — original record ↗

Black heritage reference ↗

Biography text · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source checked 2026-10-13

Continue exploring Series 1

Arts, Music & Culture →Education & Ideas →

Explore all Series 1 cards →