In Memoriam: Mary White Stewart, 1945-2021

Mary White Stewart, a professor emerita of sociology at the University of Nevada at Reno, died on April 13. She was 76 years old.

A native of Reno, Professor Stewart earned her bachelor’s degree at the University of Nevada and a Ph.D. at Temple University in Philadelphia. Before joining the faculty at the University of Nevada at Reno, she taught sociology and social psychology at the University of Northern Colorado-Greeley, the University of Nebraska-Kearney, and the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Professor Stewart was the author of several books including Silicone Spills: Breast Implants on Trial (Praeger, 1998) and Portraits of Change: Unparalleled Freedoms, Unanticipated Consequences (Hamilton Books, 2012).

At the University of Nevada, Dr. Stewart was appointed director of the women’s studies program in 2002. At that time the program included a lecturer, an administrator, and a group of affiliated faculty. The program morphed into the Gender, Race, and Identity program that became a new academic department in July 2020. The department is currently home to nine faculty and staff members, more than 50 faculty associates, and 13 existing and soon-to-be-launched undergraduate and graduate programs.

“Mary White Stewart’s vision for interdisciplinarity and collaboration led to the development of Gender, Race, and Identity,” said Debbie Boehm, current chair of the department of gender, race, and identity. “She imagined GRI as an academic home for the study of power and injustice, but also a program dedicated to social change and transformation. She knew the important role that critical scholarship and excellent teaching can play in creating a stronger university and a more just society.”