Mary Beth Bennett

Mary Beth Southerland Bennett, was welcomed by parents William (Billy) L. and Madelaine M. Southerland on May 7, 1940, in Sulphur Springs, Texas, as well as by her adoring paternal grandmother Mary Southerland. The four thrived in a three-generational home equipped with a large library. Two doors down lived Camilla Thomas Hartman, a playmate from age two. The families summered together at beloved Lake Elberta. A core of special lifelong friends that formed in the small East Texas town remained close, and Mary Beth often returned to Lake Elberta, sharing its beauty and peace with others.

Growing up in the forties and fifties was idyllic for a creative, fun-loving, yet serious student who pursued varied lifelong interests. Small and athletic, she was a cheerleader and yearbook business editor in high school. As trumpeter in the Sulphur Springs Wildcat High School band, her love of jazz developed into a deep love of classical music. Perhaps taking Popular Mechanics as a teen led to her choice of Electrical Engineering at The University of Texas; she was one of very few females on campus sporting slide rules. Socially, she was a proud member and past president of Delta Zeta sorority and remained close to treasured sisters and other college friends over the years.

At UT, she met Baylus Earls Bennett, an engineering student, athlete, who became her husband in June 1962 and beloved partner for 53 years until his death in 2015. Mary Beth earned B.S. and M.S degrees in Electrical Engineering at UT, the first female to do so. The couple shared significant professional accomplishments, travel, outdoor adventures, books, music, and conversation. Family was their priority with the births of sons Geoffrey (1966-2008) and Chad. She and Baylus loved their Bastrop cabin in the woods until it burned in 2011's most destructive wildfire in Texas history. They loved their dogs and Mary Beth’s Pablo, an African gray parrot. They held season tickets to many UT athletic team events and were vigorous "Go 'Horns" fans – especially, the Lady Longhorns.

Her forty-year professional career was primarily spent at UT’s Defense Research Laboratories and its successor, The Applied Research Laboratories (ARL:UT) on UT's Pickle Campus. In the early 1970’s she pursued a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering under supervision of Prof. David Blackstock and was assigned an onerous problem: a leading acoustician at another university stated that an acoustic parametric array worked well in water, but not in air - Mary Beth demonstrated otherwise! Her published work lay unnoticed for years until it was rediscovered; today it’s the basis for the thriving acoustical spotlight industry. She traveled widely: she became a qualified P3 air crew member while pursuing Naval Research in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

She developed a love of Korean food in her experiments there. She did ground sensor testing at Roving Sands, Chicken Little, and 29 Palms. In 2001, ARL:UT awarded Mary Beth its highest honor, the Jeffress Award for technical achievement, and she was a key member of the laboratory staff until declining health forced her retirement in 2003.

Mary Beth was more than a scientist. As a humanist, she loved art, literature, and movies, and music, actively supporting the Austin Symphony and Austin Lyric Opera and serving on the Board of the Austin Chamber Music Association. As a sports fan, she played, refereed, coached, and helped organize summer soccer academies at St. Stephens School in Austin, encouraging her sons and hundreds of others in pursuit of her favorite sport. As a lover of nature and the wild, she hiked the Davis Mountains, backpacked in Lost Maples and Enchanted Rock parks, was a certified diver, and explored Africa and Antarctica. Lifelong friendships were established and deepened in all these areas: Sulphur Springs and Lake Elberta, ARL:UT and scientific colleagues, 1st Monday Delta Zeta group, 2nd Tuesday Draft House Gals, and the STOBs backpacking group (aptly named by Mary Beth as the “stubborn, tough, ole broads”) – just to name a few. As one close friend said, “She could skin a squirrel for stew, yet enjoyed concerts and computers”.

Mary Beth peacefully left this life on December 28, 2021, in her favorite New Mexico home, surrounded by family. She is survived by beloved son Chad and his wife Cathy, and grandchildren Chase, Cadyn, and Cai; and by Geoffrey’s widow, Jennifer Bennett, and granddaughter Ruth Lynelle (Ruthie).

Appreciation is due to her faithful helper and caregiver of sixteen years, Noemi Arce. Cousins, countless friends, and valued colleagues will miss Mary Beth, ever in awe of her interesting life and determined spirit, especially after physical activity lessened. She epitomized Renaissance Woman in her love of exploration, science, and the arts.