Obituary of Mary Edith Coddington Templeton

Mary E. Coddington Templeton, a life-long resident of Monongalia County, passed away peacefully at the age of 91, on February 29, 2016, at Monongalia General Hospital, with her son, Paul, by her side. She was the only child born to John and Ethel Coo Clark Coddington on their beef/produce farm on March 22, 1924. Mary was a direct descendant of Jacob Nuce, an early plot holder of Morgantown, who resided in the Old Stone House at Chestnut Street. Jacob Nuce is buried at the Nuce Cemetery on Mary's family farm. Mary graduated from Morgantown High School in 1943 and West Virginia University in 1947 with a B. A. in Business Administration. During World War II, Mary supported US troops overseas through letter writing and creating gift boxes from the home front. After 8 years of work experience at Montgomery Wards and A&P Grocery on High Street, she returned to WVU in 1955 to earn a M.S. in Economics in 1958 with 20+ hours towards her PH.D. while working as a graduate assistant in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Resource Management and also expecting a child. In 1955, she was hired full time by the WVU Dept. of Agricultural Economics Ag Experiment Station later Dept. of Resource Management working at Beaumont House on WVU downtown Morgantown, WV main campus by Oglebay Hall, where WVU dairy ice cream was sold, and Oglebay Annex. She was involved in planning for the Agricultural Sciences new building to be built on the just being created Evansdale Campus. Mary saw the paving of Patteson Drive after moving to Evansdale from her new office window. Mary worked with close faculty colleague, the late Dr. Robert Cottrane, on November 22, 1963, the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. She continued working at the WVU Ag Economics Resource Management department, moving through the ranks from Research Assistant to Instructor to Professor in 1978. During those years, her assigned responsibilities averaged 80% research and 20% teaching. From 1955 till 1965, as a Research Assistant, she was very instrumental in facilitating the research of many faculty members in her department. From that point on, she had many research projects of her own and she taught and mentored numerous undergraduate and graduate students. She also made many educational presentations, and received professional recognitions at the state, regional, and national levels. She taught Macro and Micro Economics, Statistics, Marketing of Agricultural Products, chaperoned a bus tour of over 40 students on annual trips to the Pittsburgh Strip District and several other locations to see production operations including, but not limited to, Peking Duck, Orange Juice, Phosphate, Poultry, Pork, and Beef Productions. Mary served on committees and as officers in a number of professional organizations including: the American Agricultural Economics Association (AAEA), the Northeastern Agricultural Economics Association (NAEA) 14 years as secretary and treasurer, regularly attending both organizations annual conferences held in the US and Canada, the American Economics Association (AEA), the Northeast Council for Women in Development, honorary member of the Northeast Agricultural Economics Council, having served more than 25 years as secretary and membership treasurer. Additionally, Mary served on and provided leadership for many University, College, and Department committees. In 1989 in recognition of her being a "quiet activist" for women in the world of education, employment, and financial management, Mary Templeton was awarded the WVU Mary Catherine Buswell Award, for work and efforts promoting and advocating on behalf of women and all minorities. Mary was a past WVU Chapter President, Senior Faculty Advisor, and Honorary Member of Gamma Sigma Delta Agricultural & Forestry Academic Honorary, and Alpha Tau Alpha Honorary. Mary was appointed in 1995 to the US National Honey Board for 2 terms as the public consumer representative by the US Secretary of Agriculture, which involved attending meetings in California, Florida, Maryland, Colorado, Arizona, Ohio, Minnesota, Utah, Tennessee, and Vancouver, British Columbia. In 1995, she was inducted into the WVU Order of Vandalia, WVU's highest honor for service to the institution presented from the Office of the President, along with Carolyn Eberly Blaney, Jack Fleming, Dr. David Morgan, and Dr. Herbert Warden. Mary retired as a Professor Emeritus from WVU in 1989 with 35 years of teaching and research service, was the author of several agricultural publications, served 25 years on the WVU Faculty Senate Committee of Retired Faculty and was the first retired Faculty Marshall for WVU Commencement Ceremonies at the Coliseum and Creative Arts Center and served as a faculty volunteer assisting with the annual on campus ring ceremonies at the WVU President Home Blaney House. Mary also served as president of the WVU Emeritus Club, recognizing university graduates of 50 years or more and served on their organizing and planning boards. Mary was recently nominated in February 2016 by a former student in the Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design for induction into the WV Agricultural Hall of Fame. Justification for her nomination was she was only one of 5 or 6 female Agricultural Economists nationwide in the late 1950's/early 1960's. Of the 80 current members of the West Virginia Agricultural Hall of Fame, only 17 are female. She was very active in several local organizations. In 2014, Mary was honored as a 50 year member and 5 term president of Soroptimist International of Morgantown, a professional women's organization. In her first year as president of the Morgantown Chapter in 1976, she represented the Morgantown club at the International Soroptimist Convention in Boston, MA and served as chairperson of the Southern Atlantic Regional Conference in Morgantown for four continuous years due to the lack of Souther Atlantic states passing the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). She served as chair of the Morgantown Planning Commission and member for 13 years, often presiding at public meetings. She also participated in the American Association of University Women where she served as local and state president and took part in the statewide AAUW Auditing Committee, the Monongalia County Historical Society- program vice president. For the American Red Cross, she served as co-chair of the Capital Campaign Committee to raise $1.6 to construct a new Blood Center at the WVU Medical Center in 1991, and served on the Midatlantic Regional Committee from 1994-97, WV Representative Liason to the state of Pennsylvania and regional director to the states of New Jersey, Delaware, Virginia, and Maryland. During her service, she had the opportunity to meet Elizabeth Dole, Walter Cronkite, US Senator Paul Tsongas, and US Senator Sarbanes. Mary served on the Morgantown Housing Authority (1968-1973), received the Outstanding Business and Professional Woman Award in Morgantown (1987), Economic Options Agricultural Advisory Committee (1998-2000), WV Direct Marketing Association (board member 1993-96/treasurer 1996-99), WV Farm Bureau State Judging Committee (1993-98), Mon County Agricultural Conservation Service Board (1991-94), Regional Conference on Development in Orono, Maine (1980), conference participant in the Food from Animals Research to Feed the 21st Century in Traverse City, MI and was listed in the Personalities of the South (1980), Celebrated Women Award for Education in WV (1987)- one of 6 women honored in the state at the Governor's Mansion, and Women in Agriculture in 21st Century she was names one of nine women in the US to make outstanding contributions to agriculture. She was also one of 20 women in the US invited to participate in a workshop for Title XII, Women in Developing Countries in Washington, DC for three weeks, representing WVU at the Watergate Hotel, where she met Liz Carpenter and Gloria Steinham. She was the first female member of the Suncrest Kiwanis Club (1989 started membership and Vice President in 1990), WV Women in Employment Advisory Board Member in Charleston which promoted employment for rural women- a three year project funded by a MS Foundation ($150,000) and served on the Family Services Association in Morgantown (1977-82 on board and President 1979-80). She remained active and involved in each of these endeavors while also managing her family farm being a mother of her son, Paul. She supported and enjoyed the WV Botanic Gardens in Morgantown, WV which she actively supported, WVU Mountaineer football, men's and women's basketball, WVU College of Creative Arts School of Music (Choral Program), School of Theatre and Dance, School of Art and Design, WV Arts and Humanites Council in Charleston and the WVU Core Arboretum. Mary is survived by her son, Paul Templeton. In addition to her parents, Mary was preceded in death by her husband, Paul Templeton in 2004. Sincere thanks are extended to the staff members who cared for Mary at Monongalia General Hospital and Sundale Nursing Home and to the friends who visited with her. Friends and family will be received on Sunday, March 20th at the Erickson Alumni Center, 1 Alumni Drive, Morgantown, from 11 AM until the time of the Celebration of Life at 1 PM with Reverend Junius Lewis officiating. Interment will follow at Lawnwood Cemetery. Following the committal service at the cemetery, all are invited to attend a luncheon reception at the Erickson Alumni Center from 3-5 PM. Family and friends can RSVP for the luncheon by leaving a message at 304-293-0994 no later than noon on March 16th. While flowers are welcome, memorial donations may be made in Mary's name to, Jack Roberts Park, c/o BOPARC, PO Box 590, Morgantown, WV 26507-0590 (dedicated to the wall); the Jasmine Project, c/o Dr. Jean Meade, Cheat Lake Animal Hospital, 286 Fairchance Rd., Morgantown, WV 26508; Loyalty Permanent Endowment Fund, c/o WVU Alumni Association, PO Box 4269, Morgantown, WV 26504-4269; or the Mary Templeton Fund, c/o WVU Foundation, PO Box 1650, Morgantown, WV 26507. Online condolences may be made at www.hastingsfuneralhome.com