Mary Dearing Lewis

Mary Dearing Lewis was born on May 8, 1913, and grew up in Virginia and Illinois, attending public schools in both states. In 1934 she received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Sweet Briar College, a liberal arts and science college for women in Sweet Briar, Virginia. After teaching in public schools in Washington, D.C. and Virginia, she furthered her education at the University of Chicago as a 1943 Charles Gray Grant-in-Aid recipient, earning a Master of Arts degree in 1944. Although Ms. Dearing Lewis focused on English Literature, she was also interested in philosophy and mythology, as well as the spiritual, metaphysical, artistic and poetic heritage of the Far East. She traveled to India do research and translate the work of ancient and contemporary writers, as well as publishing reviews and papers on American and British writers. Dearing Lewis was awarded a PhD in English from Indiana University, and taught English at a number of colleges and universities, including the University of Illinois, Memphis State University, and Rockford College for Women, where she served as the Ralph Emerson Professor of English, as well as Chair of the English Department.

Mary Dearing Lewis’s friendship with Jeremy Ingalls began when they were both graduate students at the University of Chicago, and continued through correspondence (click here for images and transcripts,) deepening as they traveled the world, together and separately. They eventually settled into a life together in Tucson, Arizona, where they shared an active life among a scholarly and talented community for over 40 years. Dearing Lewis (often referred to affectionately by many friends as “Dearing,”) and Ingalls shared a parallel interest in many different cultures and creative pursuits, and were lifelong friends, co-editors, and confidantes.

Dr. Dearing Lewis died on November 22, 2000.