Embedded Files
Mary Markley Hall. Photo courtesy UM LSA
Markley Makes Her Mark
Markley Makes Her Mark
by Madison Huston
Mary Butler Markley advocated for women as she fought for equal representation within the education system. The University of Michigan honored her advocacy by naming a residence hall after her involvement in the Ann Arbor community. Although she was given this honor, many students go through their four years without knowing the story behind her name.
The first “Mary Markley residence” was originally named the Alumnae House before it was torn down in 1926 (Swain). The property was purchased and the newly built residence was changed to Mary Markley House (Swain). Due to the building’s poor condition, a separate residence hall was built in 1954 in a different location that remains in use today (Swain). This residence was named Mary Markley Hall in 1956 after a decision was made, after deciding to name the building after either Markley or Hazel Whitaker Vandenberg. According to UM LSA's Living in History project, the women were compared “based on two short biographies…which included their contributions to the university.” The article continues to state that it is unclear why Markley was chosen over Vandenberg, but it seems that Markley had a more direct involvement with the University of Michigan ("Mary Markley Hall").
Markley’s involvement began when she received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan in 1892 ("Woman Who Helped Found League Dies"). She was a teacher until she married her husband, who would become a professor and chair of UM's math department.
Portrait of Mary Butler Markley. Photo courtesy UM LSA
Her obituary in the Ann Arbor News states she organized the Washtenaw County Federation of Women’s clubs, was a member in the Alpha of Michigan chapter, and formed the Ann Arbor chapter of what would become the American Association of University Women. The article "Mary Butler Markley" explains that “she raised awareness of the hard work that the women in her committee were doing and tried to get equal representation for them in the county meetings.” Markley insisted that women did just as great of work as men did on the committee, and they deserved to voice their opinions as well ("Mary Butler Markley").
The name Mary comes from the Hebrew word meaning "their rebelion" (Maas). This is very fitting for Mary Markley, as she rebelled against the patriarchal norm that many women were submissive to in an educational setting. Her last name comes from the Old English word mearc, meaning boundary mark, and lēah, meaning "woodland clearing," according to Ancestry.com. Markley is certainly a fitting name for a woman who made such a mark at the university and still remembered today with a building named in her honor.
Works Cited
“Mary Butler Markley.” Living in History, https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/naming-project/people/markley/ .
“Mary Markley Hall.” Living in History, https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/naming-project/buildings/mary-markley/ .
Maas, Anthony. “The Name of Mary.” CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: The Name of Mary, https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15464a.htm .
Swain, George R. “Alumnae Residence, 1219 Washtenaw.” University of Michigan Library, 25 Nov. 2012, https://quod.lib.umich.edu/b/bhl/x-bl001778/BL001778?chaperone=S-BHL-X-BL001778+BL001778;size=50;view=entry . Accessed 14 Nov. 2022.
Woman Who Helped Found League Dies, 6 Mar. 1956, https://aadl.org/node/258247 . Accessed 14 Nov. 2022.
Page updated
Report abuse