Mary Alice Cropper

Mary Alice Cropper was born in Winston Salem, South Carolina to Nathaniel and Alice Small. She was the youngest of two daughters, the older sister named Addie Jean. When Mary was just two years old, the toddler migrated with her parents to the North, Baltimore Maryland, a big change from her sleepy country town she’d known. The family eventually settled into a big, three story townhome on 121st Street in East Baltimore. Hers was the first African-American family to move into what was at that time, an all Jewish neighborhood; a significant occurrence as Baltimore was still heavily segregated.

That would be the first of what would be a lifetime of being a catalyst for change, improvement and new beginnings throughout her life and career.

She attended Baltimore public schools, achieving and maintaining Dean’s list until graduating from Dunbar High School. Upon graduation, she received several invitations for admission from a number of universities in Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania. She decided to remain local and attended Morgan State University, where she was a member of the Honor Society, and was active in the Drama Club. After graduating with Bachelor’s degrees in English and French, she again received a number of admissions to graduate schools including Drexel University, University of Pittsburgh and University of Atlanta. She would go on to earn a Master’s degree in Library Science from the University of Atlanta.

Having always had a passion for books and reading, she began her career as a Librarian at the Enoch Pratt Free Public Library, named “the King of Libraries” - at the time, it was the largest library in the State.

She received a scholarship to attend University of Atlanta and used a stipend to take time from her time at Enoch Pratt to complete her Masters coursework. Upon completion, she returned to the library, serving as Branch Manager for two years.

During that time, she met and married her husband, Wilfred Drew Cropper, who was a sergeant in the United States Army. Will met Mary at her home when he accompanied her friend Van to visit Mary’s cousin, who was staying with her family. Whenever Van would visit her cousin, Will would tag along.

They soon dated, and upon completion of his military tour, they married. They were wed in her home church in Baltimore, July 25, 1964. They would remain married for 55 years until Wilfred’s passing in 2019.

As Wilfred was from Pennsylvania and had gotten a job with the federal government, they moved to Philadelphia to start their life together there. Mary soon landed her own prestigious job with the government as a Legal Librarian for the US Electrical Commission reporting the Chief Counsel. She worked there for two years before being recruited to Dechert Price and Rhoads, one of the top law firms in Philadelphia.

Seeking more time for family, Mary later made a career pivot to Education, accepting a role as Librarian at Roosevelt High School in Philadelphia. There she developed a new media center, initiated an open access library, and worked with Department Chairmen to correlate library skills into the standard curriculum.

In 1971, seeking a change from city life, Mary and Will had a house built and moved to Williamstown, NJ where they would live for the next 20 years. Again, Mary would be a catalyst for change, becoming the first African American library in Monroe Township. There she implemented an automated system to charge out books and petitioned the Library Board of Trustees and Township Council for a referendum for a new public library.

In 1999, after both Will and Mary had retired, they decided to move to Bel Air, MD to build a new home. They soon joined Ames United Methodist Church where Mary continued her passion for education, leading a Scholarship Committee to support the young people of the church.

Mary also took great pride in creating new ideas and events at Ames, such as a Frederick Douglas orator or organizing a jazz dinner evening to raise funds for the Scholarship program.

Mary is survived by her three children, her daughters Stephany, Kimberly, and her son Jonathan.

Mary would go on to work in the local school district in the town Middle School, Williamstown High School and became the Head Librarian of Radix Elementary School the largest elementary school library in South Jersey, with two librarians reporting to her.

She touched many young lives over the years in Williamstown, and is still remembered fondly by former students, teachers and administrators.

Relatives and friends are invited to gather at the Ames United Methodist Church, 112 Baltimore Pike, Bel Air, MD 21014, on Thursday, March 30, 2023, from 10-11 AM, with a funeral service to begin at 11 AM. Interment services will be held on Friday, March 31, 2023, at 11:00 AM, at Bel Air Memorial Gardens, 809 Rock Spring RD, Bel Air, MD 21014.