Mary Allen Jolley

Mary Pearson Allen Jolley (born August 30, 1928 in Kinterbish, Sumter County; died December 1, 2023 in Tuscaloosa) was Director of Economic and Community Affair for the University of Alabama and a founder of the program now known as the Alabama Network of Family Resource Centers.

Mary was the daughter of Charles and Henrietta Pearson Allen of Sumter County. She attended Ward School. When her older brother Walter (nicknamed "But") enlisted in the U.S. Navy during World War II, she took the initiative to present herself at the courthouse in Livingston to apply for a driver's license and became her school's bus driver. After graduating she earned a bachelor's degree in education at the University of Alabama, and was hired as a music and physical education teacher at the Frisco City School in Monroe County and took a room in the community's teacherage.

Soon, Jolley was diagnosed with tuberculosis. She was admitted to a sanitarium for treatment. Her treatment included the novel use of streptomycin, which cured her of the disease. Her expectation to return to teaching, however, was impeded by the refusal of her fellow teachers to admit her back into the teacherage. Instead she found a job working as an assistant to newly-elected U.S. Representative Carl Elliott, working from an office in the Jasper Federal Building.

Jolley is credited with laboring to insure that low-cost education loans were included as part of the National Defense Education Act of 1958.

Jolley died in December 2023. Her funeral mass was celebrated at St Francis Catholic Church in Tuscaloosa.

References

• Archibald, John (January 9, 2024) "The remarkable life of Mary Allen Jolley, an Alabamian who helped millions get an education." AL.com