Mary Elizabeth Gillette

MARY ELIZABETH GILLETTE, 85, of Houston, Texas, passed away on September 23, 2005. She was born on August 5, 1920, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Mary is preceded in death by her husband, Jack Gillette, her parents, Dr. Samuel and Margaret Brown, and her brothers, James Brown and Samuel Brown. She is survived by her brother, Franklin Brown, nieces and nephews, and her stepdaughter, Cynthia Gillette. Mary graduated from Bryn Mawr College in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, in 1942 with a major in sociology, subsequently earning a masters degree in sociology from the University of California. Upon graduation from college Mary worked in the Labor Department in Washington, D.C., for several years before moving to California in 1946 where she was employed by the United States Navy, working on the ENIAC Computer. Mary and her husband, Jack, moved to Houston in 1964, where she was actively involved in various environmental organizations that remained important to her throughout her life, including the Audubon Society, The Park People, Bayou Preservation Association, Buffalo Bayou Coalition, and the Nature Conservancy of Texas. In 2001 Mary was awarded the Catherine Perrine Award of the League of Women Voters of Texas, having been an active member and board member of that organization for many years. Mary was one of the founding members, and chairman of the board, of the Galveston Bay Foundation, and in 1995 was appointed to the Advisory Council of the Galveston Bay National Estuary Program. Mary's family and friends wish to thank everyone at Brighton Gardens, staff and residents, who have shown such kindness and friendship to Mary all these years. A private remembrance of Mary is being held by her family and friends.