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Mary Thom

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Mary Thom
Born(1944-06-03)June 3, 1944
Akron, Ohio, U.S.
DiedApril 26, 2013(2013-04-26) (aged 68)
Yonkers, New York, U.S.
OccupationEditor
LanguageEnglish
NationalityAmerican
EducationBryn Mawr, 1966
SubjectFeminism, women's rights

Mary Thom (June 3, 1944 – April 26, 2013)[1] was an American feminist, writer, and editor. She was one of the founding editors of Ms. magazine, and was an editor for the magazine for 20 years.[2][3]

Early life and education

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Thom was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1944, and raised in Akron, Ohio. Her father, Paul, was an engineer who worked in the steel industry. Her mother, Susan, was a homemaker. Thom listened to jazz and enjoyed Shakespeare, encouraged by her mother. She credited these two interests at triggering her interest in activism.[4][5]

She graduated from Bryn Mawr College in 1966. While there, she became involved in the anti-war and civil rights movements. She was a fundraiser for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.[4] Thom also joined the Congress on Racial Equality (CORE) during this time.[5]

Thom entered graduate school in 1966 at Columbia University, in pursuit of a PhD in European history but left in 1968 after the tumultuous student strike that began there in April, 1968.[5]

Career

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After leaving Columbia, Thom stayed in Manhattan, and for the next three years, worked as an associate editor at Facts on File and, in 1971, volunteered for the newly-founded National Women's Political Caucus.[5]

Thom joined Ms. in 1972, first as a volunteer, then a researcher, and then as an editor.[5] She became executive editor in 1990. When she started working at Ms. she created an evaluation system about politicians. It was a feature in the magazine.[4] While at Ms., Thom edited the book, Letters to Ms.[5]

In 1992, Thom left Ms. as the executive editor of the magazine. She wrote a book about the history of the magazine, Inside Ms. 25 Years of the Magazine and the Feminist Movement. in 1997.[6] After she left to become a freelance writer and editor, Thom maintained an association with Ms. until 2001.[5] She also co-wrote a book about Bella Abzug with Suzanne Braun Levine.[3]

At the time of her death, she was an editor-in-chief of the Women's Media Center, a think-tank group. Gloria Steinem called her "one of the women's movement's best editors."[3]

Later life and death

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Thom lived and worked in New York City and never married. She enjoyed motorcycles.

Thom was killed in a motorcycle accident in Yonkers, New York on April 26, 2013.[2] Thom had picked up her 1996 Honda Magna 750 from winter storage when she veered into traffic upon entering a highway. She struck a vehicle and was struck by another.[2]

Legacy

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The Women's Media Center now sponsors the Mary Thom Art of Editing Award.[7]

Works

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  • Thom, Mary (1987). Letters to Ms., 1972-1987. New York: Henry Holt. ISBN 9780805003840.
  • Thom, Mary (1997). Inside Ms.: 25 years of the magazine and the feminist movement. New York: Henry Holt. ISBN 9780805037326.
  • Thom, Mary; Levine, Suzanne Braun (2007). Bella Abzug: how one tough broad from the Bronx fought Jim Crow and Joe McCarthy-- : an oral history. New York: Farrar Straus & Giroux. ISBN 9780374531492.

References

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  1. ^ "Thom, Mary". Library of Congress. Retrieved 13 August 2014. Mary Thom; b. June 3, 1944, Cleveland; grew up in Akron; d. Friday [Apr. 26, 2013]
  2. ^ a b c Stapleton, AnneClare (April 28, 2013). "Prominent feminist Mary Thom dies in motorcycle crash". CNN. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  3. ^ a b c Shapiro, Rebecca (28 April 2013). "Mary Thom Dead: Former Ms. Magazine Editor Dies In NY Crash". Huffington Post. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  4. ^ a b c Hernandez, Javier C. (28 April 2013). "Mary Thom, a Chronicler of the Feminist Movement, Dies at 68". Media. The New York Times. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g "Collection: Mary Thom papers | Smith College Finding Aids". findingaids.smith.edu. Retrieved 2020-07-14. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 3.0 license.
  6. ^ Snover, Raye (14 September 1997). "Books in Brief: Non-fiction". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  7. ^ "Public Memorial and a New Award for Mary Thom - Ms. Magazine". msmagazine.com. May 2013.
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