Mary Hamill Jester

Born on March 24, 1925, to Dr. Dan Bryan Hamill and Gladys Mason Hamill, Mary graduated from Corsicana High School in 1942. She attended The University of Texas at Austin where she joined Zeta Tau Alpha sorority. Mary earned a degree in Zoology from UT in 1946 and went to work for the State Health Department in Waco.

Mary and Homer Bates Jester, Jr. married in Corsicana in 1951 and later moved to Dallas where they lived for many years. They had a daughter, Janet, and son, Dan.

In 1960, Mary went to work for Dallas investor and philanthropist Peter O'Donnell, Jr. where she remained for 40 years. From the late 1950s through 2000, she worked for many local, statewide, and national political campaigns, including campaigns to elect Congressman Bruce Alger, Senator John Tower, Barry Goldwater, Texas Governors Bill Clements and George W. Bush, Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush.

When not working for Mr. O'Donnell or on campaigns, Mary enjoyed nature and photography. She was a lifetime trustee of the Dallas Museum of Natural History. Mary leaves a catalogue of over 100,000 photographs of her friends, family, and her beloved outdoor adventures to the Big Bend, Ft. Burgwin, and the Grand Tetons.

Survivors include daughter and son-in-law, Janet and Jay Riekenberg; son and daughter-in-law, Dan and Mary Beth Jester; grandchildren Robert Inks, Robin Inks, Bryan Jester, Garrett Jester, and Mason Jester; all of Austin.

Interment will take place in a private family ceremony. Friends desiring to make memorials should send a contribution to the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas or The University of Texas at Austin.