Mary Anne Schwalbe (' Goldsmith; March 31, 1934 – September 14, 2009) was a university administrator and refugee worker. She served as Associate Dean of Admissions at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

, and was the Founding Director for the Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children, now known as the

Women's Refugee Commission The Women's Refugee Commission is a 501(c)(3) Non-governmental organization, Non-Governmental Organization that aims to improve the lives and protect the rights of Women, Children, and Youth displaced by conflict or crisis. Established in 1989 ...

. Her losing two-year battle with pancreatic cancer was detailed in her son Will Schwalbe's book, ''The End of Your Life Book Club''.

Early life and career

Mary Anne Goldsmith was born on March 31, 1934, in New York. Her father, James Alfred Goldsmith, Jr., worked for Hess, Goldsmith & Co, a textile firm founded by his grandfather. She graduated from the

Brearley School The Brearley School is an all-girls private school in New York City, located on the Upper East Side neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan. The school is divided into lower (kindergarten – grade 4), middle (grades 5–8) and upper (grades 9– ...

in 1951 and from

Radcliffe College Radcliffe College was a women's liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and functioned as the female coordinate institution for the all-male Harvard College. Considered founded in 1879, it was one of the Seven Sisters colleges and he ...

in 1955. where she majored in English and performed in drama productions. She then attended the London Academy of Dramatic Arts. She worked for

Frederick Brisson Carl Brisson (24 December 1893 – 25 September 1958), born Carl Frederik Ejnar Pedersen, was a Danish film actor and singer. He appeared in 13 films between 1918 and 1935, including two silent films directed by Alfred Hitchcock. In the 1934 ...

and the

Playwrights' Company The Playwrights Company (1938–1960) was an American theatrical production company. History Maxwell Anderson, S. N. Behrman, Sidney Howard, Elmer Rice, Robert E. Sherwood and John F. Wharton established The Playwrights Company in 1938 (incorpor ...

when she wed Douglas Schwalbe on December 6, 1959, in her hometown of

Westport, Connecticut Westport is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, along the Long Island Sound within Connecticut's Gold Coast. It is northeast of New York City. The town had a population of 27,141 according to the 2020 U.S. Census. History ...

. Her son Will Schwalbe is an author and entrepreneur, and her daughter,

Nina Schwalbe Nina Schwalbe (born 18 April 1966) is an American public health researcher who is the founder of Spark Street Advisors, a public health think tank based in New York City. Schwalbe specializes in vaccines. She has previously worked at Gavi, UNICEF ...

, is a public health researcher. Schwalbe worked at Radcliffe and later at Harvard University, where she served as Associate Dean and Director of Admissions.

Refugee work

Schwalbe was a supporter of refugees cause in Thailand and later in Afghanistan. She was involved with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and was the Founding Director for the Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children, now known as the Women's Refugee Commission. During this time she also served as an electoral observer in the Balkans. She also raised funds for a library in Kabul and traveling libraries for Afghanistan.

''The End of Your Life Book Club''

Schwalbe's life and works are memorialized in her son Will Schwalbe's book, ''The End of Your Life Book Club'', which recounts how they bonded through a shared love of books while she was undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schwalbe, Mary Anne Alumni of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art Radcliffe College alumni 1934 births 2009 deaths American activists People from New York City Brearley School alumni