Mary J. Hempel, assistant to the president and director of the Office of Public Relations at the University, died Sept. 30. She was 58.

Mary joined the UD staff in 1971 as an associate news editor, becoming news editor in 1972. She was appointed director of the then-Office of Information Services in 1979. In 1997, she was named assistant to the president and director of the Office of Public Relations.

Under her leadership, the Office of Public Relations grew from a small news bureau to a multifaceted public relations unit that produces several publications and the University's online news site, UDaily, and also handles media relations, photography, advertising and marketing, as well as the University mascot—YoUDee. Under her guidance, the office has received several awards for excellence.

Among her many contributions to the University, Mary supervised the birth and development of The Messenger and continued to nurture and oversee its growth over the years.

A member of numerous University committees, Mary was a dynamic contributor to many areas of the University and a valued adviser to many on the campus. In 2002, she received the Downtown Newark Partnership's first Outstanding Volunteer Award for an individual from the University. She also was an active volunteer with Delaware Hospice and the local chapter of the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation, among other charities.

Members of the UD community and of Mary's family attended a memorial service Oct. 11 at the Bob Carpenter Center to celebrate her life. They remembered her as a loving sister and aunt, a generous colleague and a talented professional communicator whose tireless dedication to the University was matched by an ability to find humor in the world around her and a willingness to share her laughter with others.

Longtime friends who spoke at the service shared memories of Mary and reflected on her legacy as a helper, mentor and enthusiastic supporter of the University's goals and cheerleader for its accomplishments. Her niece, Alison Roath March, AS '98, recalled that, even as a child, she knew her aunt loved two things above all—her family and her job. Mary, March said, loved the beauty, energy and diversity of the UD campus.

Before the service began, a series of slides on screens flanking the lectern highlighted some of the many projects Mary had overseen, from photos showcasing the campus in different seasons to colorful banners and vibrant murals on display at various University locations. Images of magazines, brochures and calendars produced by the Office of Public Relations and of public-awareness and community-outreach campaigns created by the office were on display, along with photos of UD buses wrapped in artwork and of YoUDee engaged in assorted antics.

In his remarks at the service, President David P. Roselle noted Mary's key role in the projects shown in the slides, in addition to numerous others. "When you access UDaily, think of Mary....When you walk on The Green, stop and read the historical markers; those are Mary's words," he said, calling such tangible reminders "only a few of the lasting contributions Mary made to the institution she loved so completely."

John Brennan, who worked with Mary since 1972 and now has been appointed to succeed her, spoke of her devotion to the printed word, as a voracious reader, a trained journalist and a gifted writer and editor. He recalled her ability to write and edit materials from brochures to speeches to proposals and to evaluate photos and designs in order to select those with the most impact for a particular purpose.

"All this boils down, of course, to an ability to communicate," Brennan said. "And, Mary was a master at that."

He also praised Mary's interest in innovation and her desire always to find fresh, new ways to cover a story or present the University's message. "She was not interested in repeating herself, and she certainly knew that readers were not interested in seeing the same thing over and over," Brennan said.

Robert R. Davis, vice president for University development and alumni relations, who worked with Mary for almost 30 years, called her "a creative genius at seeing the whole picture and then putting to task the people and resources to get the job done."

Born in Clinton, Iowa, Mary earned bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism from the University of Missouri at Columbia. In graduate school, she participated in the Graduate Reporting Program, serving as Washington, D.C., correspondent for several newspapers.