My Friend Mary Wheeler King (1901-1992)

So many of us go through life without thinking of the bigger picture- what can we do to better our communities after we are gone? I would like today to discuss Mary Wheeler King and to say to you that here is a friend who thought very carefully how she would influence future generations

As the Two Mile House Committee (Nancy George, Maureen Reed, Dick Dutrey, Tom Bietsch, Milton Flower, Pierson Miller and I) struggles to answer many questions from caretaking to parking, I can assure you this is what Mary wanted. She wanted us to create a house for the community to use for many generations. This is the same Mary who challenged me and supported me at the Society. She was among the group who gave me money for the first Antiques Forum and the first publication. (At that time no one knew why I said— "Let's feature the Two Mile House on the front of the book." For years Milton Flower and I were sworn to secrecy. If we told anyone she said she would change her will.) In later years she called me frequently to see what was "new" (that was her word). Until she died, she never missed an exciting event at the Society, most often brought along a friend, and always offering encouragement. I only remember disappointing her once, when I failed to get William Conger to come to Carlisle to discuss the White House renovations.

Certainly we now know that Mary and her husband, J. McLain King, known to all as Mac, were to offer at their deaths the same support and challenges to the young people of Haverford and Wilson Colleges. Isn't this a nice testament to two people who amassed a generous estate? Can't we all learn something from this?

I first remember seeing Mary as I sat at 155 South College Street with my grandmother, Grace Leyburn Wood Kramer, also a Wilson girl (1891). Mary bounded up the steps, lilies of the valley in her hand, to say a brief hello. She never stayed long, but she came frequently and, as I soon learned, would be a friend to four generations of Kramers. Incidentally, I received the last lilies of the valley at my home on Willow Street in the Spring of the year she died. Because Mary had fond memories of seeing my grandfather, William, play tennis in Newville, my niece, Lauren, at a young age received from Mary a children's tea set belonging to one of his tennis partners. And my father, never one to collect idle acquaintances, was Mary's and Mac's attorney and good friend for years, my brother to follow. Finally, my mother and Mary solved all Carlisle's problems, as some of Mary's many friends lost interest or died, and Mary became in later years more of my mother's contemporary than you can imagine. While my memories are of Kramers, I know there are many families like ours: the Flowers, Hays, Kellers and Briners, that Mary touched for three and four generations. Mary worked at this. She loved all ages and she loved being a part of our lives.

Don't be shocked, but as I have thought about Mary while setting these words to paper, I truly think that today she could have been a minister. She was religious, caring, she loved people, and was so well disciplined. I know she would have excelled at some profession newly opened to women. Betty Thrush told me that Mary often said, "I have my life, Mac has his and we have ours." Doesn't that sound like good contemporary advice?

Many of us today know and love Betty Thrush. Now for the sake of history, let's identify Betty. Betty was Mary King's helper (helper—that word is Mary's). Betty says Mary always called her that. Betty Thrush was born Betty Horn. She was the oldest of six children and grew up on a farm on the Walnut Bottom Road. The farm was where Shoney's is located now, number 936 Walnut Bottom Road. Betty tells me how Mary came to her family's farm to ask for a young woman to help. At this time Betty was fourteen. As a result, many days after school, Betty would get off the school bus at the Two Mile House to help. This pattern began in May of 1946 when the Kings moved into the Two Mile House. Betty never left the Kings and, as we know, it was she who cleaned out the house for the sale (it took nine months, as you might expect).

Read the entire article