Servant leader Mary Schley impacted Columbus in many ways: Healthcare. Education. Arts.
Dr. Mary Wheatland Schley, who contributed to Columbus in healthcare, education and the arts as a servant leader, has died.
She died July 29 at the age of 95, according to Striffler-Hamby Mortuary. The cause and location of her death weren’t available before publication.
Her obituary summarizes the positive impact she made in the Chattahoochee Valley:
Schley chaired the board of The Medical Center Hospital Authority and the committee that led the construction of its replacement facility, now called Piedmont Columbus Regional Midtown Campus. She co-founded and conducted health centers, clinics and programs for disabled and indigent citizens.
Her servant leadership expanded into education as she co-founded and helped sustain Brookstone School, where she also chaired the board. She was the regional representative for the Alumni Council of Yale University.
And she participated in the Columbus Symphony Orchestra as the first violinist, a board member and a donor.
Schley was also involved with the Springer Opera House, Columbus Museum and Junior League of Columbus.
Several organizations honored her community service with awards. She received the Columbus Business and Professional Women’s Club 1979 Woman of the Year Award, the Georgia Hospital Association 1980 Distinguished Service Award, the Medical Association of Georgia 1991 Civic Endeavor Award and the Rotary Club of Columbus 2002 Dan Reed Service Above Self Award.
Columbus State University awarded her an honorary doctorate in 2006 and named the Schley Medical Sciences Suite in recognition of her contributions in 2018.
Betsy Covington, president and CEO at the Community Foundation of the Chattahoochee Valley, called Schley a “major role model.”
“Our world in Columbus feels a little dimmed by the loss of Dr. Schley,” Covington told the Ledger-Enquirer in an email Thursday. “. . . Aside from her undeniably successful position as a wife and mother, she demonstrated how to calmly and without drama manage her own fulfilling interests, particularly her music, and make an indelible mark on our community through her positions at numerous educational and arts nonprofits.”
Covington saw her servant leadership up close while Schley was a member of the foundation’s board.
“She asked great questions that helped us ensure we were operating at a top level,” Covington said. “She was whip-smart, fearless and comfortable being exactly who she was. She also loved spaniels, which for me affirmed her outstanding character.”
Piedmont Columbus Regional CEO Scott Hill called Schley “a trailblazer in our community.”
“She set a high standard for physician involvement and leadership within both our medical staff and in the greater community at large,” Hill told the L-E in an email Thursday. “Dr. Schley was one of the first practicing female pediatricians in our community, and her impact is still felt today as our existing Midtown hospital campus is standing because of her advocacy, vision and leadership many years ago. She will be sorely missed but fondly remembered, and our thoughts and prayers are with her loved ones during this time.”
Columbus State University development officer Catherine Trotter, who retired from Brookstone as servant leadership director, noted Schley was the school’s first female board chair.
“She was a remarkable woman, one who I admired for her unbelievable intellect and her depth of knowledge,” Trotter told the L-E in a voicemail “She was an incredible doctor who also made delicious blueberry jelly that I was fortunate to receive at Christmastime.”
Aflac Foundation president Kathelen Amos, a 1975 Brookstone graduate, called Schley “a true inspiration to me and so many other Brookstone girls” who learned from Schley during her lunch visits at the invitation of history teacher Nan Rainwater Pate.
Schley discussed “being a ‘career woman’ in a traditionally male profession, fairly unheard of by us students and nearly nonexistent in Columbus at the time,” Amos told the L-E in an email. “. . . Mary had a lot of wisdom, and was grounded in practicality about both how the family works and how the working world works. She didn’t sugarcoat and wasn’t an ideologue, but gave us a great example of what could be done.”
While the Brookstone Service to School award was presented to Schley in 2017, Brookstone board member Stephanie Hunter said, “She was known by those in her profession for the respect that she paid to everyone, of all roles, in the practice of healthcare and the seriousness with which she practiced, while also always being approachable. We have been the beneficiary of those qualities here at Brookstone School for more than 50 years. She is the embodiment of a well-lived life and one lived in service to others.”
Striffler-Hamby announced these funeral arrangements: Although her burial in Linwood Cemetery was designated as a private ceremony, a public celebration of her life is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Sept. 17 in the Robert Sommerville Schley Gallery of CSU’s Corn Center, 921 Front Ave.
This story was originally published August 4, 2022 at 10:36 AM.
