Mary Fletcher and students at the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary, Oyster Bay, c. 1925-1926. Mary Fletcher is on the far right.
Naturalist and educator Mary Fletcher (1899-1989) authored “A Survey of the Algae Found in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden” in 1936. In honor of her accomplishments and Women’s History Month, Special Collections is featuring her papers, which are open and available for research.
The Mary T. MacMurray Fletcher Collection includes correspondence, nature lists, and photographs that document her career and her passion for the natural environment. Fletcher was a biology teacher at Richmond Hill High School in Queens, New York for 35 years. In 1957, she retired and moved to Seaford, New York. There she served on the board of the Second District of the Federated Garden Clubs of New York as both Bird and Conservation Chairperson. Ms. Fletcher was an active member of the Long Island Chapter of the Nature Conservancy, the Adirondack Forest Preserve, and the Audubon Society.
The collection was cited by Dr. Natalie Naylor, Professor Emerita, Hofstra University in her recently published article “Long Island Women Preserving Nature and the Environment.”
For more information about Special Collections and University Archives, please visit the website for the department. -Kristen J. Nyitray, Head, Special Collections and University Archives, University Archivist
Kristen Nyitray
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