Mary Emily Price, 86, of State College, died Sunday, November 16, 2008 at Foxdale Village in State College.
She was born June 4, 1922, in Porterville, CA, the daughter of Alfred (Fred) Switzer and Kathleen Stackhouse Price.
She moved to State College in 1989 from New York City, where she lived for 39 years. From 1964 to 1979 she worked on staff as editor, writer, and reporter for medical magazines for physicians. As a freelance writer/consultant she contributed to Ford Foundation publications on urban poverty, and to Matthew Bender publications for lawyers. She was a member of the National Association of Science Writers.
She graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with honors in English and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa in 1949. From 1956 to 1958 she studied premedical sciences at Columbia University, New York.
During her childhood in California she performed as a ballet soloist for schools, community organizations, and festivals. As an advanced student of piano and voice in Vancouver, British Columbia, (1940~1945) she received certificates in piano performance, harmony, and theory from the Royal Conservatory of Music (London) . In New York, she studied acting with Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse and with teachers from the Moscow Art Theater and the Group Theater. For several years she performed in community theater, stock, and off-Broadway productions.
In retirement at State College she audited courses in the English and Art departments at Penn State and studied ancient Greek language and literature. She was a docent at the Palmer Museum of Art. From 1994 to 2001 she served as a member of the State College Borough Commission for Pedestrian &Traffic Safety.
She is survived by cousins in Stockton, Calif., and in Texas. There will be no memorial service. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Pennsylvania State University for the Mary Emily Price Graduate Scholarship. Checks, indicating the name of the scholarship, should be made payable to The Pennsylvania State University and mailed to 1 Old Main, University Park, PA 16802.
A guest book can be signed or condolences sent at wwwlheintzelmanfuneralhome.com