Mary Morain
Encyclopedia
Mary Stone Dewing Morain (1911 - 14 June 1999) was an American
therapist, social reformer and prominent secular humanist, the co-author, with her husband Lloyd Morain
, of Humanism As The Next Step.
Mary Stone Dewing was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts
, the eldest of three children; her parents were teachers at Simmons College
. In 1926 she traveled with her family to England
, Europe
and Egypt
. She was thought to be a sickly child and was sent to Florida
to study for a time, before returning to Simmons College as a social work
student. She also worked part-time in Italian
and Irish
immigrant communities in the South End of Boston
, and in the mid-1930s received an M.A.
degree from the University of Chicago
.
In 1938, she moved to Hollywood to work with Donald McLean as one of his staff of therapists working under the principles of General Semantics
. While there she met Lloyd Morain. During World War II
she worked as a teacher and social worker in New York
, and they married after Lloyd's return from service in Europe in 1946. After working part-time for the New England Home for Little Wanderers, an institution that cared for vulnerable mothers, she became a volunteer for Planned Parenthood
, later becoming president of the Planned Parenthood Association in Boston
, as well as the League of Women Voters
. She became a leading member of Planned Parenthood, touring and lecturing on birth control
around the world, often in the company of Margaret Sanger
. She and her husband were also founding Directors of the International Humanist and Ethical Union
, established in 1952.
The couple returned to California, to live in San Francisco, and co-wrote Humanism As The Next Step (1954). As well as continuing to support Planned Parenthood, Mary Morain was active in Altrusa and in adult literacy and tree planting initiatives in San Francisco. In the 1970s she and her husband were both elected as Fellows of the World Academy of Art and Science
. She compiled and edited four books on general semantics, served as President of the International Society for General Semantics, and revised Humanism as the Next Step. She and her husband were jointly named "Humanists of the Year" by the American Humanist Association
in 1994. In accepting that award she said:
She died in 1999, after contracting pneumonia
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
therapist, social reformer and prominent secular humanist, the co-author, with her husband Lloyd Morain
Lloyd Morain
Lloyd L. Morain was an American businessman, philanthropist, writer, environmentalist, art collector and film producer, who uniquely served two terms as President of the American Humanist Association .-Life and career:...
, of Humanism As The Next Step.
Mary Stone Dewing was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, the eldest of three children; her parents were teachers at Simmons College
Simmons College (Massachusetts)
Simmons College, established in 1899, is a private women's undergraduate college and private co-educational graduate school in Boston, Massachusetts.-History:Simmons was founded in 1899 with a bequest by John Simmons a wealthy clothing manufacturer in Boston...
. In 1926 she traveled with her family to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. She was thought to be a sickly child and was sent to Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
to study for a time, before returning to Simmons College as a social work
Social work
Social Work is a professional and academic discipline that seeks to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of an individual, group, or community by intervening through research, policy, community organizing, direct practice, and teaching on behalf of those afflicted with poverty or any real or...
student. She also worked part-time in Italian
Italian American
An Italian American , is an American of Italian ancestry. The designation may also refer to someone possessing Italian and American dual citizenship...
and Irish
Irish American
Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...
immigrant communities in the South End of Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, and in the mid-1930s received an M.A.
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
degree from the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
.
In 1938, she moved to Hollywood to work with Donald McLean as one of his staff of therapists working under the principles of General Semantics
General Semantics
General semantics is a program begun in the 1920's that seeks to regulate the evaluative operations performed in the human brain. After partial program launches under the trial names "human engineering" and "humanology," Polish-American originator Alfred Korzybski fully launched the program as...
. While there she met Lloyd Morain. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
she worked as a teacher and social worker in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and they married after Lloyd's return from service in Europe in 1946. After working part-time for the New England Home for Little Wanderers, an institution that cared for vulnerable mothers, she became a volunteer for Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood Federation of America , commonly shortened to Planned Parenthood, is the U.S. affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation and one of its larger members. PPFA is a non-profit organization providing reproductive health and maternal and child health services. The...
, later becoming president of the Planned Parenthood Association in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, as well as the League of Women Voters
League of Women Voters
The League of Women Voters is an American political organization founded in 1920 by Carrie Chapman Catt during the last meeting of the National American Woman Suffrage Association approximately six months before the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution gave women the right to vote...
. She became a leading member of Planned Parenthood, touring and lecturing on birth control
Birth control
Birth control is an umbrella term for several techniques and methods used to prevent fertilization or to interrupt pregnancy at various stages. Birth control techniques and methods include contraception , contragestion and abortion...
around the world, often in the company of Margaret Sanger
Margaret Sanger
Margaret Higgins Sanger was an American sex educator, nurse, and birth control activist. Sanger coined the term birth control, opened the first birth control clinic in the United States, and established Planned Parenthood...
. She and her husband were also founding Directors of the International Humanist and Ethical Union
International Humanist and Ethical Union
The International Humanist and Ethical Union is an umbrella organisation embracing humanist, atheist, rationalist, secular, skeptic, freethought and Ethical Culture organisations worldwide. Founded in Amsterdam in 1952, the IHEU is a democratic union of more than 100 member organizations in 40...
, established in 1952.
The couple returned to California, to live in San Francisco, and co-wrote Humanism As The Next Step (1954). As well as continuing to support Planned Parenthood, Mary Morain was active in Altrusa and in adult literacy and tree planting initiatives in San Francisco. In the 1970s she and her husband were both elected as Fellows of the World Academy of Art and Science
World Academy of Art and Science
The World Academy of Art and Science is an international non-governmental scientific organization, an informal and non-official world network of individual fellows elected for distinguished accomplishments in the fields of natural and social sciences, arts and the humanities...
. She compiled and edited four books on general semantics, served as President of the International Society for General Semantics, and revised Humanism as the Next Step. She and her husband were jointly named "Humanists of the Year" by the American Humanist Association
American Humanist Association
The American Humanist Association is an educational organization in the United States that advances Humanism. "Humanism is a progressive philosophy of life that, without theism and other supernatural beliefs, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment that...
in 1994. In accepting that award she said:
"Most systems of basic beliefs - most life stances - give some emphasis to helping others rather than our individual selves. Believing that we exist only in a single world, the natural world that we share with other living creatures, and that we have no special first-class tickets that allow for travel to continuous existence in other spheres at the end of our journey in this life. In our human distresses, we have only each other to turn to for help."
She died in 1999, after contracting pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
.