Passages: Mary Ferguson, leader, activist and Chapter fundraiser

Mary Ferguson, longtime Sierra Club activist and the Angeles Chapter's first employee, died Jan. 11. She was 89 years old.

Mary, who was born Mary Anne Pidgeon on July 20, 1929, in Dublin, Ireland. came to America in 1958. She became active in the San Fernando Valley Group of the Angeles Chapter through backpacking and volunteering. 

In 1970, the Chapter selected Mary to be their first paid employee. She initially served as office manager and assistant to the volunteer officers, but quickly became successful in another capacity: fundraising. Mary knew how to find potential donors and how to explain Sierra Club campaigns and why financial support was critical to their success. She worked to make each donor a personal friend, taking them to lunch and seeing to their personal needs.  Mary became a living legend in the Sierra Club.  

She was incredibly successful in developing relationships with donors, some of whom were referrals to non-club members from club members. To move among the environmental donors, Mary also developed contacts with major political figures, such as former California state senators David Roberti and Alan Sieroty, and numerous others.

"I feel fortunate to have been Mary's friend," leader and longtime Chapter activist Joan Jones Holtz said. "We shared many adventures together, and I was always inspired by her warmth and generosity to others. I am lucky she was part of my life."

Mary received one of the top Chapter awards, the Phil Bernays Service Award, in 1979, and the  Linda Hoyer Chapter Staff Award in 1994.

Mary formally retired from her Sierra Club job in 1995, but continued to be active, serving on the Chapter's Political Committee. She became active at the state level, regularly attending Sierra Club California meetings, and training other volunteers in fundraising. Sierra Club California created a special Mary Ferguson Award awarded annually to an outstanding Sierra Club employee. 

Mary was fiercely political, continually offering her beautiful home in Montecito Heights to hold fundraisers for deserving candidates and to interview candidates seeking Sierra Club endorsement. Then state Sen. David Roberti appointed to her the Tahoe Conservancy where she served for 20 years. Well into her retirement years, Mary was still making phone calls, walking door to door, and even traveling to Las Vegas to get out the vote.

Also, she cherished her Irish roots and founded an organization called Irish Ethos, which called others of Irish heritage to come together to discuss common issues, literature and music.  

Mary married Paul Ferguson in 1965. He died in 1980. She is survived by a sister, Joan Fritz of Altadena,  Calif.; a daughter, Tina Fenton of Modesto, Calif., three grandchildren, two nephews and long-time companion Ed Vaughan.  

Sierra Club friends and colleagues are invited to a Celebration of Life Mass to be held 11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 17 at Assumption Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 2640 E. Orange Grove Blvd., in Pasadena.