Mary Olivia Hope (1922–2021)
MIT Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, 1971–1983
Dean Mary Olivia Harris-Hope arrived at MIT in the fall of 1972. Born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1922, her independent spirit was strengthened by the segregated society she grew up in. Her optimistic outlook and love for helping others was modeled and nurtured by parents who loved God and people. She graduated from Parker High School in Birmingham; attended Alabama State College as a pre-med student; and earned a Masters in education from the Teachers College at Columbia University in New York City during summers, while employed as Head of the Science Department at Fairfield High School in Alabama. In 1948, she married Percy Hope in 1948 and raised their two daughters Terry and Inez Hope Shaw ’73, SM ’75 while teaching special education in the New York City public schools for many years before coming to MIT.
During her eleven-year tenure at the Institute, she was known as a passionate and effective advocate for all students, but especially for minorities and women; a wise and caring counselor; and a warm and nurturing mother-figure. Always willing to reach out, to listen, and to extend herself to solve problems, her office became a welcome refuge for many. Notable among her endeavors at MIT were an annual Black Science Conference and the founding of Lambda Upsilon Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the first sorority on campus.
She died in Birmingham, Alabama on Friday, July 2, 2021.
Inez D. Hope Shaw ’73, SM ’75
Warren E. Shaw ’72, Pastor, Mt. Tabor Baptist Church
Waayl Ahmad Salih, MD ’72, EAA ’74, SM ‘74 (Pallbearer)
TRIBUTES FROM THE MIT COMMUNITY
[Dean Hope’s] unparalleled efforts and contributions to enrich the lives of African American Students in the 1970s and 1980s established a framework for others to follow. We will uphold and sustain her legacy for future generations. I am willing to support alums and others to establish a visionary presence of her devotion and commitment to our students on our campus.
Clarence G. Williams
Adjunct Professor of Urban Studies, Emeritus
Former Institute Ombudsperson and Special Assistant to the President at MIT
Originator and Director, MIT Black History Project
I proffer my humble, sincere condolences on the transition of [Dean Hope]. [Her] journey will certainly be blessed. [She] provided comfort, love, support, and advocacy to a generation of African American youth and adults. We shall remain genuinely grateful for all [she] has done for and with us. We have you now. Have no fear, for we are with you.
Wesley L. Harris, Sr.
C. S. Draper Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics, MIT
Dean Hope was a wonderful resource for a generation of students. She
advised and supported students in warm and powerful ways. She was a wonderful colleague and friend. She translated student needs to the
faculty and administration. She pushed us to be more helpful. Whatever progress we have made at MIT is in part due to Dean Hope. I hope this great legacy will sustain the family in this time of loss.
Phillip L. Clay PhD ‘75
Professor and Former Chancellor, MIT
To the Family & Friends of Mrs. Mary Olivia Harris Hope
Dean Mary Hope was a heroine to legions of students, staff, administrators, and faculty at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). I was among her colleagues and admirers. In the early 1970’s, at the beginning of my first decade at MIT, I was the only black American faculty member in MIT’s School of Engineering.
Through her broad knowledge of MIT, and especially her warmth and uncanny instincts, Mary made significant academic and cultural differences to many individuals at MIT, and no one knew that better than the undergraduates. Early in my career, she encouraged me to teach the pre-freshman Interphase and to offer several in-semester Saturday morning calculus and physics tutorials for students who needed a bit of extra academic support. She also had the savvy and judgment that led her to send dozens of students to see me when she felt a need in them simply to regain their personal equilibrium and reestablish their academic goals.
In private conversations with Mary, whether in her office or my office, I could reliably predict that at some point, every conversation would find its way to a statement about “one of the girls” or “mom” or “the farm.”
I met Inez in the elevator on our way up to the Barker Engineering Library, and during her years at MIT shared both technical and nontechnical chats with her. I have retained a book of harmony and tranquility that she gave to me some 45 years ago.
Yes, Dean Mary Hope made indelible impact in the personal and academic lives of hundreds of MIT undergraduates and numerous others; and through her laidback and unforgettable demeanor, it was clear that she had a true sense of her singular impact.
With sincere respect, appreciation, and condolences,
James Henry Williams, Jr. ’67, SM ‘68
School of Engineering Professor of Teaching Excellence
Professor of Applied Mechanics
Charles F. Hopewell Faculty Fellow
Professor of Writing and Humanistic Studies
MIT
The annual MIT Black Students’ Conference on Science and Technology aimed to bring out important issues, techniques and approaches put forth by minority alums and faculty in order to help undergraduates navigate the MIT experience and the outside world. The conference was among the notable endeavors of Dean Hope.
Dean Hope was one of our Super Stars.
Sekazi Kauze Mtingwa ’71
Principal Partner, Triangle Science, Education & Economic Development, LLC
I wanted to share a fact about Dean Mary Hope that only a few of us know. In 1974, I approached Dean Hope to support the submission of a charter to MIT to establish the first chapter of an African American Greek organization in the schools history. Long before she helped establish her own organization, Alpha Kappa Alpha on MIT’s campus, she vigorously and enthusiastically supported the founding of the Theta Iota Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi. We received a charter from the fraternity in October 1975. Today, 46+ years later all 8 of the original members (Line) still have a monthly call. We are all very saddened by the loss of Dean Hope and will forever feel gratitude for her many contributions to us individually and to our organization.
Fred Thompson ‘76
President, FT Global Executive Search
She also helped me graduate my third time enrolled at MIT in 1977, with aid from her daughter [Inez Hope Shaw ’73, SM ’75]!!! Peace and Blessings
Mbaba Hakeem ‘77
Independent Artist
Dean Hope helped so many navigate MIT. She did her job with compassion. It was not a job for her. It was a ministry.
Gwendolyn M. Wise-Blackman ‘78
Advisor/Consultant, BioData Solutions
Dean Hope was an amazing woman of whom I owe an enormous debt of gratitude. Without her presence, passion and personality, I certainly would not have even attended MIT. I remember meeting with Dean Hope when I visited campus for the first time. She had a way of speaking to you that made you feel her commitment to you. She made a difference in all of our lives. Through her tireless work in supporting and growing the Black student community at MIT, the Institute is now a different place…for the better.
I pray that the Lord will give her family comfort and peace.
Diane Hoskins ‘79
Co-Chief Executive Officer, Gensler
She helped many of us during our difficult times at MIT and celebrated with us when we prevailed!
Margaret Lenore Smith, MD ‘79
Associate Professor, University of Kansas Medical Center
Dean Hope always believed in our ability to succeed at MIT. I remember her insistence on study sessions and maintaining our classwork during our charter chapter line. She inspired us to broaden our social impact as Black women while excelling academically.
Lisa Chinwe Egbuonu-Davis, MD, MPH, MBA ‘79
Vice President of Medical Innovations, Danaher Diagnostics Platform at Danaher Corporation
She was my cousin and we will miss [her] terribly.
Geoffrey William Holman ‘80
Founder and Managing Partner, Coaction Group
Dean Hope hosted dinners to help Black students sort out our male/female
relationships. She brought in speakers to help us understand our history and our place in the world. She had high expectations for us. Her commitment to a vibrant student life at MIT and specific advocacy for black students and women were unparalleled. Her bold vision and tireless efforts to enhance the environment at the Institute were invaluable. She was a tremendous gift to us all! We honor and greatly appreciate Dean Hope and are praying for comfort and strength for her family and all who loved her.
Rocklyn Clarke, Sr. ’80
Senior Pastor, Life Church Ministries, Inc.
Eva Clarke ‘81
Vice President, Asset Management, Boston Financial Investment Management
Moving on in the love of God
My journey here ends with His precious nod
He reminds us all that though time is eternal
Our portion of it here is yet a limited kernelAs our days unfold
Beyond that which we can see
His finger of love
Carefully moves in you and me
Mary Hope, blessed in many ways
Well acknowledged across the years and in the days
She transitions now through the gift of God’s love
To gracefully take her rest beneath the heavens above!
Rev. Samuel Nixon, Jr. ‘80
CEO and Founder, Humble1 LLC
She was the best lifeline during my time at MIT and as an AKA.
Dera Addlonia Gray ‘81
Senior Engineer, Dell EMC
Chartered on October 8, 1977, AKA is the oldest Greek-lettered organization established by African-American college-educated women and was the first sorority on MIT’s campus of any type. The inspiration for the Lambda Upsilon Chapter was Dean Hope, who felt that an effective group was needed through which Black women on predominantly White campuses could communicate and help each other.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. (1 Cor. 13:13 NIV)
I came to know Dean Mary Hope over forty years ago as an undergraduate
student [who] interned at MIT during the summers and, ultimately, as an MIT
grad student. Young and naïve [as I was], like so many, Dean Hope took me under her wing. Dean Hope, with the keenest wisdom and insight, combined faith, hope, and love as she touched each person with whom she interfaced. She had an uncanny ability to see exactly where you were and provide just what you
needed to overcome and/or to succeed. She had the utmost faith in a person’s
ability to excel. With her faith, she always shed the light on what to hope for.
But most importantly, Dean Hope loved deeply and completely. Whatever you
were going through, no matter the challenge or obstacle, Dean Hope loved you
through it. When there was joy, elation and happiness, Dean Hope was there
to share in that joy. To me and to others, she has been a counselor, a teacher,
a mother and friend. She is loved. Lovingly, many called her “Ma Hope.” She
has done so much for so many. Her legacy lives on. Dean Hope will be missed.
Michelle Harton SM ‘83
Educator, Chicago Public Schools
Being accepted to MIT was a great opportunity and would surely supercharge my career. But unfortunately, I didn’t keep up with the pace there. I spent several years just treading water, and it was financially draining. Finally, I decided to throw in the towel and go to Northeastern, the university across the river.
Before leaving, I went to speak Dean Hope, who was my academic advisor. I thought she was going to be very disappointed that I was giving up, but I was in for a surprise. She said something like: “I had been waiting and hoping to have this conversation with you. You see, as a representative of the school, I wasn’t allowed to give you recommendations for anything outside of MIT. But now that you have come in on your own, wanting to transfer to another university, I can help you.” Then she pulled out a photo from the back of her desk. It showed a group of about five people. She pointed to one of them, David Blackman, saying that he was a good friend of hers, a dean at Northeastern. Right then and there, she called him up and told him to expect my visit. I went to see him, he granted me admission on the spot, and recommended a selection of courses to take while my transfer was processed and previous course course credits were applied.
I graduated from that Northeastern without any major difficulties, and there was a job waiting for me when I graduated. After graduation, I never faced unemployment except for the one time that I decided to relocate over a thousand miles away to Puerto Rico. And even then, I quickly found a temporary job to pay the bills for the 3 months while I looked for something permanent.Dean Hope was a Giant. I thank God for her “ministry” at MIT. She changed the lives of countless people.
Michael Jeffers ’83
Sr. Project Engineer at Honeywell Aerospace of Puerto Rico
Dean Hope was a Giant. I thank God for her “ministry” at MIT. She changed the lives of countless people.
Rev. Cedric Hughes Jones, Jr. ‘83
Pastor, Mount Zion Baptist Church
My God. This makes me so sad. Dean Hope helped us restart the Black Christian Fellowship in 1982–83.
Karl Whitney Reid ’84, SM ‘85
Senior Vice Provost and Chief Inclusion Officer, Professor of the Practice, Northeastern University
Dean Hope helped me navigate my time at MIT. I was blessed to have known her.
Gerald Joseph Baron ‘85
Head of Global Sales, Siren
The MIT Black Christian Fellowship is a diverse group of black Christian students and friends who come together to support one another academically and spiritually and to learn more about Christ. Dean Hope, who helped restart the group in the early 1980s, exemplified the fellowship’s commitment to a ministry that is “dedicated to taking God’s Word and applying it to our daily lives on campus.”
My Dean of Hope,
one Dean suggested I wasn’t MIT material
but the other Dean — see… she was more Spiritual
and you could tell her job wasn’t just a ritual
ceremony or something that was phony.MIT was a challenge for me and at that time so critical
the words you speak to a student can be.. oh so pivotal
i cried the day her job was denied, i wrote her a poem
cause her impact on me… was hardly minimalthe gifts she stirred in me not just encouraging me
and connecting emotionally.. stay in my heart eternally
I’m sayin, ain’t that what dean mean? ain’t that what it ‘posed to be?
Facts… i met with her once but the her impact affected my destinygoodness that flowed from her to me could not have been shared sparingly
my gratitude here could not have just been a sincere personal memory
Rest in Peace Dean Mary as you pass into eternitySelah
Biz Barrett ’85 (aka tOObiz)
President and Founder of 2BZ Information Technologies, 2BZ Media, MyBOTs LLC & The Fishnett Plan, Inc.
A Valiant Warrior for us all. I thank God for placing Dean Mary Hope in my MIT experience.
David Tribble ‘86
Civil Engineer, Los Angeles Department of Water & Power
I arrived at MIT in 1990 and never had the honor of meeting Dean Hope personally. But I’ve met her legacy through the many beautiful stories told by countless members of the MIT community, as well as through my work with BAMIT, Dr. Clarence G. Williams, and the MIT Black History Project.
To the light, Dean Hope…
Nelly Rosario ‘94
Writer, Associate Professor, Latina/o Studies Program, Williams College
Greetings and my sincere condolences to all gathered here today. My name is DiOnetta Jones Crayton, and I currently serve as an Associate Dean in the Office of the Vice Chancellor, and I direct the Office of Minority Education at MIT. The OME has a long legacy at MIT. Having been established in 1975, this office has been supporting the success of minority students and students from underrepresented backgrounds for nearly 50 years. So many key people were instrumental in the creation and the sustainability of this office, and of course, we all know that Dean Mary Olivia Hope was one of them. I believe that those of us who serve in this line of work today, owe much to leaders like her. While I did not personally know Dean Hope, I most certainly knew of her. Her passion and compassion for students continues to inspire us and it sets the tone and the standard for how we work with students at MIT today. In reading about Dean Hope in Dr. Clarence Williams’ Technology and the Dream, you will find words like “inspirational, caring, intelligent, thoughtful, God-fearing, advocate, leader, influential, present, encourager, a person who gets things done, the person who will tell you, and I quote, “This is what you need to do to survive”. Dean hope was someone you could count on, and she was for many, “a Mom away from home”. Dean Hope understood all that it would take for minority students to thrive at a university like MIT, and she made sure that she was there to help them do just that, whether that was through one-on-one conversations, through the Black Science Conferences that she coordinated or by helping to charter the Lambda Upsilon Chapter of my beloved Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
In truth, I feel like I missed out on something and someone very special by not walking these halls when she did, but I know that we are all so much the better because she did grace the hallowed halls of MIT. For we are all more inspired to keep the Fire of Hope ablaze, because of beautiful people like Dean Mary Olivia Hope. May God’s blessings be upon you all. Thank you.
DiOnetta Jones Crayton
Associate Dean, Office of the Vice Chancellor
Director, Office of Minority Education (OME)
MIT
On behalf of the Black Alumni/ae of MIT (BAMIT), I extend heartfelt condolences to Dean Mary Hope’s family and friends. I’m among the alumni who did not have the privilege to know Dean Hope at MIT but benefited significantly from her initiatives, vision, and enduring legacy. Alumni who were students during her tenure at MIT continue to share beautiful stories of Dean Hope’s kindness, leadership, and unwavering support. The BAMIT family mourns Dean Hope’s passing and also celebrates her generous spirit.
K’Andrea Bickerstaff ‘89
BAMIT National Chair
President, KenQuest LLC
EXTENDED TRIBUTE TO DEAN MARY OLIVIA HARRIS HOPE
by Leslye Miller Fraser (MIT’78) on behalf of the Charter Members of The Lambda Upsilon Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
12 July 2021
Good day. My name is Leslye Miller Fraser. I graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology or MIT in 1978, and currently am a member of the MIT Corporation, which is MIT’s Board of Directors.
I am honored and privileged to come before you today to bring this more extensive tribute on behalf of myself and my fellow MIT students, who in 1977, chartered the Lambda Upsilon Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. under the leadership and guidance of then-Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, Mary O. Hope. On behalf of all 17 charter members, I extend our deepest condolences to Terry, Inez and Dean Hope’s extended family and friends and pray that God’s all-comforting grace will ease your grief and loss until you see Dean Hope again in eternity, for all eternity.
Our charter line first met Dean Hope between Fall 1974 and Fall 1976 in our respective first years at MIT. My class of 1978 was the first class to be the beneficiaries of the efforts of black upperclassman, such as Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson, President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, who had urged MIT to increase the numbers of black students being admitted to MIT. From less
than 20 total black students per class in years prior, my class had 70 black students — 7% of the entering class — including 20 black women. The class of 1979 included eight black women and the class of 1980 also included 20 black women. At the time, the total female population at MIT
was just 25% women.
For many of us, it was the first time we had both been in a predominantly white male institution and the first time we met many other black women, who also had excelled academically in high school and loved math and/or science. While there were some MIT professors and administrators
who supported us, there were many others who questioned our capability and right to be at MIT. At the same time, the city of Boston was undergoing forced bussing, and students of color often faced racist comments and treatment when venturing off-campus.
Proverbs Chapter 22, Verse 1 teaches us that, “A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.”
These words epitomize who Dean Mary Olivia Harris Hope was to many black students at MIT. She was “a good name” and highly esteemed; our second mother; her office was a safe haven where many would go for comfort or sage advice with or without an appointment; she took us on off-campus retreats to a large Vermont cabin owned by MIT so we could get a break from the adverse racial environment; and she went to bat for us — her students — often at the risk of her own career as she put our needs first to ensure we had an environment where we not only could survive, but thrive!
In addition, Dean Hope also sponsored an annual MIT Black Students’ Conference on Science and Technology to highlight important issues, techniques and approaches to help undergraduates navigate the MIT experience and the outside world. There, students were able to interact with distinguished panelists from academia, industry and government, such as E. Delores Tucker, then Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Janet Langhart, then cohost of Channel 5’s Good Day program.
As charter member Elaine Harris ’78 recently reflected:
Dean Hope was a genuinely kind and caring individual who freely shared the wisdom of her perspective and experience as needed. She helped me manage through a culture that was foreign and at times formidable. She was the epitome of grace and strength through every circumstance.
Charter Member Cordelia Price ’78, similarly reflected that Dean Hope
watched over us and guided us through our MIT experience. I will always have fond memories of Dean Hope, the love she showed us and the caring she had for us. I owe some of my success in graduating from MIT to Dean Hope.
Many of us share these and similar remembrances of Dean Hope.
Dean Hope also was visionary. Given the increased presence of black female MIT undergraduates, Dean Hope strongly believed that we would benefit from the strong support network provided by Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., her beloved sorority — the first of all black sororities to be founded. In the Fall of 1976, she gathered a group of interested MIT freshman, sophomore and junior black women to begin the process of chartering a new undergraduate AKA chapter. We named ourselves Onyx after the black gemstone.
Members of Onyx hailed from Alabama, Delaware, Maryland, Michigan,
Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. We worked tirelessly with Dean Hope for over a year and on October 8, 1977, we were chartered as the Lambda Upsilon Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the first sorority on MIT’s campus of any persuasion.
Dean Hope’s goal that we would be a support group for one another quickly came to fruition. As charter member, Doris Armour ’80, recollected decades later:
The fact that so few of my classmates looked like me increased my feelings of isolation.
To found an organization of women that, almost by definition, not only instantly understood my circumstance but empathized with me and in most instances shared the same experience … facilitated and provided support, comfort, direction, assistance, consolation, protection and anything else another soror needed. And the sisterhood ensured the same would be there for you when you need it, and always will be.”
But importantly, while our charter group was comprised only of MIT students,
Dean Hope ensured that Lambda Upsilon Chapter’s charter covered students at both Harvard and Wellesley Colleges as well, because another aspect of her vision was to ensure that black women at all three universities would come together through this new AKA chapter to provide support to one another. And indeed, the first line to pledge the new Lambda Upsilon Chapter the following Spring included fantastic young women from all three colleges, which has continued across the last four decades.
Dean Hope’s legacy has been vast. We often think of one’s legacy as through your bloodlines, but I’d like to also share some examples of Dean Hope’s legacy that flows through the Lambda Upsilon Chapter she formed at MIT. Time does not allow me to include everyone, but I hope this will give you a sense of how Dean Hope’s initial vision has multiplied exponentially over the
years from our initial charter line to present day:
• I served as Lambda Upsilon’s first assistant dean of pledges. Upon graduating from MIT, I moved to California to work in the aerospace industry and later law school. I served as the graduate advisor for four years to the Lambda Alpha Chapter located on the campus of California State University at Long Beach. Dean Hope was my role model of how to perform in this position and my love for AKA initially fostered by Dean Hope led me to become a life member of our beloved sorority.
• Charter member Dr. Nola Hylton Watson ’79, served as Lambda Upsilon’s first dean of pledges. Upon graduation, she went to Stanford University to pursue her Ph.D. degree in Physics, where she followed Dean Hope’s model and chartered the Xi Beta Chapter of AKA at Stanford in 1981 to provide a network of support for the black female undergraduates there similar to what we had established at MIT. Nola then served as the chapter’s first graduate advisor for three years.
• Charter member Connie Nathan ’80, who served as Lambda Upsilon’s
first vice president, then treasurer and membership chair. She also went to Stanford to earn her Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering. While there, she served as graduate advisor for Xi Beta Chapter for two years.
• In 2015, charter member Janie Harris Mathis ’79 spearheaded the
formation of a new graduate chapter in Southern California, Omega Delta Omega Chapter. Janie also has served on the Far Western Regional Leadership Team, as General Member Liaison, and a Member of the International Investigation Team.
• And Charter member Celia Berry ’78, Lambda Upsilon’s first Financial Secretary, currently serves on the North Atlantic Region’s Archive Committee.
• Fast forward to today: my last three examples represent Dean Mary O. Hope’s ongoing legacy where Lambda Upsilon Chapter sorors from all three colleges currently hold significant leadership positions:
o Danielle Geathers, a rising senior at MIT majoring in mechanical
engineering is serving her second term as MIT’s Undergraduate Association
President, the first African American woman to serve in this role;
o Giselle Mota, a senior majoring in Sociology/ American Studies,
similarly is serving as the undergraduate student body president at Wellesley
College; and
o Jasmyne McCoy, who just graduated from Harvard University this May with a degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology is AKA’s Second Supreme
Anti-Basileus, the third highest international office in our sorority!
Proverbs 31:29–31 (NKJV) includes the following among the attributes of a virtuous woman:
Many daughters have done well,
But you excel them all.
Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,
But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.
Give her of the fruit of her hands,
And let her own works praise her in the gates.
We, the charter members of the Lambda Upsilon Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. are proud to also be considered the fruit of Dean Mary Olivia Hope’s hands and we praise her works. We thank God for bringing her into our lives and providing the support we needed to excel and soar, and for the legacy she has left us all. May God continue to keep her family in the palm of His hand.
Done by Leslye Miller Fraser
July 12, 2021
On behalf of Onyx, the charter members of the Lambda Upsilon Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Doris J. Armour
Celia Ann Berry
Lisa Egbuonu
Pamela Leslie Hampton
Helene Hanson
Elaine J. Harris
Janie M. Harris
Nola Michiko Hylton
Sheila L. Luster
Leslye E. Miller
Connie Nathan
Stephanie Y. Posey
Cordelia M. Price
Yolanda Alicia Tanner
Panchita L. Terry
Debra L. Thompson
Diane E. Waters
Thank you.
