Ferguson, Mary Elrod, 1898-1975

Mary Elrod Ferguson was born in Bloomington, Illinois, in 1889 to Morton John Elrod and Emma Hartshorn Elrod. After her family moved to Missoula, Montana, in 1898, she attended the preparatory school at the University of Montana, then earned a BS in Biology in 1911. She was a founding member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority on campus. From 1918 to 1920, she was an instructor in zoology at the University of Montana. From 1930 to 1933, she was secretary to the Dean of Women. In 1934, she earned an MA from Columbia University's Teachers College. She became acting Dean of Women at the University of Montana in 1935 and served in that position until 1946. From 1946 until her retirement in 1957, she was the assistant director of the Museum and Northwest History Collections at the University. She was active in the American Association of University Women, the American Association of Deans of Women, the State Federation of Women's Clubs, Delta Kappa Gamma, Kappa Kappa Gamma, the As You Like It Club, the Cosmos Club, and the Episcopalian Church. She married William G. Ferguson in Missoula on January 2, 1920. Mr. Ferguson was first the managing editor of the Daily Missoulian, then the secretary of the Missoula Chamber of Commerce and the Miles City Chamber of Commerce. They lived in Miles City after they married. Mr. Ferguson died in 1954. Mrs. Ferguson died in Missoula in 1975.

Mary E. Ferguson was the Registrar (1928-1950), assistant secretary (1930, 1932), and secretary (1933-1941, 1944-1950) of the Peking Union Medical College; associate secretary of the United Boards for Christian Higher Education in China (1950-1960).