Mary McHenry
Mary McHenry (born Mary Elizabeth Williamson; January 23, 1933 – March 1, 2021) was an American English professor who helped bring African-American literature to Mount Holyoke College. She taught there from 1974 to 1998 and retired as Emeritus Professor of English. She influenced many students, including Suzan-Lori Parks, who said McHenry was her favorite English teacher and who later connected Parks with James Baldwin.
She was born in Washington, D.C., to Alphonso Williamson and Elizabeth Bennett Williamson. She grew up in the area and attended Oakwood School in Poughkeepsie, New York. McHenry earned a BA in English from Mount Holyoke College in 1954, an MA from Columbia University in 1960, and did further graduate work at George Washington University from 1961 to 1964.
Before Mount Holyoke, she taught at Howard University (1960–1963), George Washington University (1964–1969), and Federal City College (1969–1974). She is remembered for integrating African-American literature into Mount Holyoke’s curriculum, helping the college grow its Black studies programs and student body.
McHenry married twice. Her first husband was Harry S. Murphy Jr. (1954–1959), with whom she had a son. In 1962, she married diplomat Donald F. McHenry (they later divorced in 1976) and had two daughters, including Elizabeth McHenry, a professor of English at New York University. Mary McHenry died in Washington, D.C., at age 88.
Her legacy includes the Mary McHenry Papers, which were displayed at Mount Holyoke College in 2007, and ongoing recognition of her work to broaden and deepen the study of African-American literature.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 21:05 (CET).