Mary R. Barrett, of Winchester, Massachusetts, formerly of Malden, Massachusetts, passed away on September 13, 2022, at the age of 87. Mary was predeceased by her parents, John G. Barrett and Margaret C. Barrett, and is survived by her beloved brother, John G. Barrett of Winchester, and many cousins and friends.
Mary was raised in Malden and attended the Immaculate Conception Grammar School. She graduated from Girls Catholic High School in 1953; and received a bachelor's degree (1957) and a master’s degree (1959) in elementary education from Boston State College. She then worked as a second-grade teacher at the Fulton School in Medford for several years.
From 1967 to 1974, Mary worked as an assistant professor in the Education Department at Boston State College. In 1974, she became the school's assistant athletic director, and later associate athletic director, until finally assuming the duties of Director of Athletics in 1978, prior to Boston State College's merger with UMass Boston.
Mary was a trailblazer for female administrators and was the first woman to be named to the Board of Directors of the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame, the first woman to be named President of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (1985 and 1986), and the first woman to chair the Hockey East Tournament Committee. In 1992, Mary was elected to a five-year term on the NCAA Executive Committee and was the sole representative from Division III on that committee which serves as the NCAA's governing body.
In 1998, Mary was honored by the University of Massachusetts with the James Lynch Distinguished Achievement Award; and in 1999 was presented with the Katherine Ley Award. She was inducted in the ECAC Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2015; and she was inducted in the University of Massachusetts Hall of Fame in that same year.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at the Saint Eulalia Church, 50 Ridge Street, Winchester on Saturday, September 17, at 10 AM. Relatives and friends are invited to attend. Interment will follow at Oak Grove Cemetery, Medford.