The Mary Morgan Legacy

Social justice pioneer and feminist Mary Morgan of Yellow Springs, Ohio, passed away in January of this year. As a lifetime supporter of Government Accountability Project, she graciously decided that her legacy would include an estate gift to our organization.

It is an honor to include Mary in our Legacy Fund campaign that will ensure that her final, generous gift will help sustain our programs beyond the next decade. As you might recall, our legacy commitment is to place estate gifts into our reserves and spending them out at 10 percent per year. With interest accumulating in the account, we are actually able to stretch out legacy gifts for up to 14 years.

A Champion of Social Justice

Mary was a remarkable woman with an inspiring commitment to social justice. In 1954, Mary received her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Dayton. She then taught in the Dayton public school system and soon became education director of the five-county Head Start region.

In 1967, Mary was awarded a Fellowship from Columbia University, where she earned a Master of Science degree the following year. The year after that, endorsed by the Dayton Daily News, Mary made history by becoming the first woman candidate to run for the Dayton City Commission. In 1979, she co-founded the Susan B. Anthony Memorial UnRest Home Womyn's Land Trust, a feminist education center. In the 1980s, she was the first woman to be a candidate for the board of the Ohio University Credit Union.

Mary was awarded for 50 years of activism in the American Civil Liberties Union in 2003 and received the Social Justice Lifetime Service Award from the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Yellow Springs, Ohio in 2007.

Tireless Commitment to the Public Interest

Mary's impact on her region was so profound that the Mayor of Dayton proclaimed Sept. 20, 2009, as Mary Morgan Day—"For the rights of women by opening the door for women candidates in the Miami Valley and working tirelessly for social justice."

A true public interest champion, Mary was an active supporter of our efforts to promote government and corporate accountability, and to protect whistleblowers in the process. As an avid ally of the Humane Society and rescuer of many abandoned dogs, Mary also appreciated Government Accountability Project's efforts to ensure the humane handling of animals.

We are humbled to have had the privilege of knowing Mary and are honored to provide our Legacy Fund Campaign which will ensure that Mary Morgan's commitment to the public interest will live on at Government Accountability Project as we pursue the critical efforts her generous gift made possible.

Promote Justice Forever

Like Mary Morgan, you can make a lasting gift to promote government and corporate accountability. Contact Michael Termini, (202) 926-3321 or michaelt@whistleblower.org to learn more.