Mary Margaret Arnn ’43
May 23, 2015, in Pacific Grove, California.
A native of Eugene, Oregon, Mary received her bachelor’s degree in literature from Reed and then worked as a cowgirl on a ranch in New Mexico. She married John Oliver Arnn in 1946 and moved once a year for 15 years as her husband’s army career dictated. While they were stationed in Japan, she volunteered to teach English and history to Japanese wives of American servicemen. After John died in Vietnam in 1965, she moved to Carmel, California.
A charter member of the Carmel Area Coalition—a group whose actions led to the scenic preservation of the agricultural land at the mouth of the Carmel Valley—she was also active in the World Affairs Council, the United Nations Foundation, Amnesty International, and the American Civil Liberties Union. A generous supporter of Reed, she wrote, “I live in a retirement home where someone asked me to lead a Great Issues group. I now carry on with Reed-like discussions on various subjects.” Mary is survived by her children, James and Barbara.
Appeared in Reed magazine: June 2019
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