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A Missionary for St. Jude - Mary Wardrop
Dr. Mary Wardrop's bright blue eyes and trim build reflect her energy and enthusiasm for life. A retired mathematics professor and researcher, she has traveled widely, studied several languages, and loves to play golf, read and volunteer in her community of Pinehurst, N.C.
But of all her broad and varied interests, supporting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is at the top of her list.
"I'm almost like a missionary about St. Jude," says Mary, who often wears her St. Jude logo pin as a conversation starter and gives them as gifts to friends. "The more I learn about St. Jude, the more enthusiastic I become."
Mary has always known about St. Jude, because the Louisiana native earned her bachelor's degree from Southwestern (now Rhodes College) in Memphis in 1955 and taught at the school when Danny Thomas was founding the hospital. But it was her first visit to St. Jude after her retirement in 1990 that convinced her to leave a legacy to further its mission.
"Walking the halls the first time, I was so impressed with everything that was done for the patient, and with the fact that families don't pay for medical bills beyond what insurance covers," she recalls.
She and her late husband, Dr. Robert F. Wardrop, also a mathematics professor, established two Charitable Gift Annuities through St. Jude. She says she has been pleased with the payments provided by the annuities and the fact that they are partially non-taxable.
Mary decided to leave a significant part of her estate to St. Jude "because it was important to me that the money go to an institution that would have the greatest impact, and would help many children for years to come." Because the groundbreaking research at St. Jude is freely shared with medical centers all over the world, she knows her legacy will reach far beyond the hospital walls.
Those beliefs were reinforced by her second visit to the hospital in 2005, when she and a college roommate had the opportunity to talk with Gerard Zambetti, PhD, a researcher in St. Jude's Biochemistry department.
"I was fascinated with his work and his ability to explain it in terms my friend and I could understand," she says. She adds that she also enjoyed learning more about research taking place on campus when she attended the Scientific Symposium in 2007.
Mary appreciates the importance of research because it has been such a big part of her life. She published 40 professional papers during her career, which in addition to Rhodes included time at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte and Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant, where both Mary and Robert taught. Avid golfers, they retired to Pinehurst in 1990 to enjoy the good life there.
Unfortunately, Robert died in December 2007 following a long struggle with Alzheimer's disease. His passing came at the close of a very difficult year for Mary. She spent much it recovering from brain surgery to remove a benign tumor.
Mary reflects that although she has had her share of difficult times, her life has been "wonderful," and her 31-year marriage to Robert, the second marriage for both, was the highlight. "I was passionately in love with him, and we had a good life together traveling, sharing our work, and just enjoying life."
Mary has returned to the golf course, to her books, to her volunteer work at her church and at the used book store that supports the local library, and to her many other interests – including St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
"Just the other day a man stopped by the book store and asked about the St. Jude pin I was wearing," she says. "He told me he had had colon cancer, and was helped by treatment that had been developed at St. Jude." She says she likes knowing that her support helps make such progress possible.
"The thought that I am doing something that would help so many people is very rewarding."
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