Mary Lee Dayton's impressive and lengthy history of volunteer activities only begins to allude to her deeply rooted commitment and dedication to a politically active life. After graduating from Northrop Collegiate School in 1943, where she was senior class president and participated in field hockey, glee club and drama, Dayton traveled east to Vassar College. A 1946 Vassar alumna, Dayton soon found herself back at Northrop as a kindergarten teacher where her commitment to politics, women's rights, and volunteerism began to bloom.
During the 1950s, she mentored girls as a Girl Scout Troop Leader and carried that commitment into the 1960s and 1970s by serving on the board of trustees of the Minneapolis YWCA. In recognition of Dayton's dedication to the YWCA and her good work on behalf of the organization, she was awarded YWCA's Woman of the Year Award in 1974. Other organizations that have benefited from Dayton's leadership and able fund-raising skills include Women's Foundation of Minnesota, Macalester College, Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, United Way and WomenVenture.
Dayton currently serves on the boards of the Mississippi River Fund and the Sister Kenny Foundation. She continues to be active with the YWCA, Planned Parenthood and Westminster Presbyterian Church. When not volunteering, Dayton is a dedicated mother of four (all Northrop alumnae) and grandmother of nine.
Just as her late husband, Wallace C. Dayton '39, was named the Outstanding Alumni of the Year in 2000 for his commitment and work as an environmental activist, The Blake School community is proud to present Mary Lee Dayton with this award in recognition of her good work on behalf of the greater community.
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