Mary Kay McPhee

Along with her grandmother, Alice Paige, as a primary caregiver, the small family remained financially relatively well-off even during the Great Depression and World War II, giving her a loving, caring and comfortable childhood. From the beginning, she was popular in school – a beauty and a Prom Queen, graduating with honors from Topeka High School. She matriculated at the University of Kansas, graduating in 1949 with a B.S. in Education. She married Bill McPhee, a young medical graduate, that same year and moved to Kansas City where he was in medical training, and she worked as a third grade elementary school teacher at Parker School in Kansas City, KS. In the early 1950’s, she was primarily family oriented as a doctor’s wife, a Navy wife on the move with her serving husband during the Korean Conflict, and a young mother of two children at home.

In the later 1950’s and early 1960’s, Mary Kay “awakened” to a variety of local, regional, national and international issues which formed the causes that drove the rest of her life. First and always devoted to the centrality of education, she became an early and ardent feminist, championing and supporting issues important to women and girls individually and collectively for her entire life. She joined early in the civil rights movement on the Freedom Trail supporting issues key to the emancipation/equality movement for BIPOC communities and tribes of diverse peoples. She was at the forefront in support of LBGTQ+ rights and became an inveterate fighter against H.I.V./A.I.D.S. along with many other important health issues including teen pregnancy, drug abuse, malnutrition, care for individuals with mental health issues, domestic violence, sexual and spousal and elder abuse. She fought early, often and valiantly against ignorance, poverty, famine, disease and war. She developed an iron will supporting marriage and family enrichment, lifting educational opportunity for all people and giving voice to the voiceless in our society. She dedicated her life to tireless community service and leadership in order to help advance these causes.

Her service to the organizations she believed in was unflagging, and she gave them of her time, her skill, her resources, her funds and her great organizational abilities and leadership. Believe it or not, these were so numerous during her long life that space will allow mention of but a few, along with some of the awards and accolades she collected along the way. EDUCATION Mary Kay served on the Boards of Directors and in multiple committee assignments for decades at UMKC, Kansas University, William Jewell College and Kappa Alpha Theta national sorority. She received “ a volunteer of the year award” as well as the Chancellor’s Award at UMKC, “the highest award the University bestows”. She was awarded the William F. Yates Medallion from William Jewell College “for distinguished service and significant achievements in the community.’ Another awardee on the podium that same day was Lamar Hunt. She was “Cited for Distinguished Service” by the University of Kansas Alumni Association, noting “worthy contributions throughout the years which have helped bring honor to the University.” She was hailed as “National Theta of the Year” by Kappa Alpha Theta sorority and also was honored by her election to Phi Alpha Theta national scholastic society. She was elected to the International Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), and was a recipient of the “Distinguished Friend of Education International Award from CASE “in appreciation of stellar volunteer involvement and lifelong service to the international educational community.”

HEALTH and WELLNESS Mary Kay served on the Boards of directors and as Board President of the NKC Memorial Hospital KC Auxiliary, the Missouri State Medical Association Medical Alliance, the Southern Medical Association Auxiliary and then as National President of the American Medical Association Auxiliary. These roles took her through all of the U.S. states and territories several times over supporting critical health issues for deserving and needy populations. Through programs like TARGET, she was frequently teamed with celebrities such as former NBA star Magic Johnson to promote the fights against H.I.V./A.I.D.S., teen pregnancy, food insecurity and drug abuse. In addition, she chaired or co-chaired many organizations supporting the importance of Humanities in Medicine such as Kansas City’s Center for Practical Bioethics or the Missouri Governor’s Committee for Children and Youth or the Missouri Association for Social Welfare. She served on the Kansas/Missouri states Committee for the National Museum for Women in the Arts. For many years, Mary Kay served on the Board and in other capacities with the Conservatory of Music and Dance at UMKC. In addition, she was quite active in the GKC Region’s National Conference of Christians and Jews, serving on its Board as well as the Board for the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education. She was a recipient of the “Shining Star Award” from the Mother & Child Health Coalition. She was given the “Mother Evelyn O’Neill Award “For assisting the Poor” by St. Teresa’s Academy, the “Hats off to Mothers Award” and the ”Family Achievement Award” from the Family Conservancy. Ingram’s Magazine gave her their “Local Hero” award, the Civic Center gave her the “KC Spirit Award” and MASW gave her their “Outstanding Service Award”, “for leadership that has improved communities across cultural, class and ethnic lines.”

SOCIAL JUSTICE Mary Kay was very active at the forefront of women’s issues with long service at multiple levels (including Board of Directors) with Kansas City’s Central Exchange, the Women’s Foundation of Greater Kansas City, The National Committee for the Prevention of Child Abuse, the Missouri Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect, KIDSAFE, and the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault (MOCSA). On the freedom trail for civil rights, she served as co-chair of the Urban League, on her friend Herman Johnson’s Black Scholarship Fund (as well as the Dorothy Johnson funds), as a contributor to the Bluford Healthcare Leadership Institute, the UMKC Chancellor’s Advisory Board, the Ella B. Stackhouse Scholarship Endowment Fund and on various committees and other roles with the Southern Poverty Law Center, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Crystal Eastman Society, the Rose Brooks Center for Battered Women, Northland Meals on Wheels, the Jackson County Child Welfare Action Center for Foster Children Committee, and the KC Mayor’s Commission on Race. She was the recipient of the Urban League’s “Difference Maker Award” and was appointed a Jackson County Special Advocate. She became a “Discussion Leader” for Civil Discourse for Social Action with NAACP. In addition to her work on race, she was a strong advocate for the LBGTQ+ community, in the national fight against H.I.V./A.I.D.S., in support of the Heartland Men’s Chorus, The AIDS Council of KC, the Civic Health Foundation of Greater KC, the Center for Practical Bioethics and the AIDS Walk. She was a recipient of the “Hearts of Gold” Award from the YWCA and the “Lay Honor Award” from the Metropolitan Medical Society for her work against AIDS. Very important to her were her decades of service to Truman Medical Centers on their Board of Directors, on numerous committees and on several special projects dedicated to serving underserved communities in Kansas City – especially helping to address under-addressed mental health needs for the vulnerable populations of Kansas City.

MENTAL HEALTH/MARRIAGE ENRICHMENT Mary Kay served for several years on the national Board of the Association of Couples for Marriage Enrichment and was also a founding board member of the National Youth Information Network. She was President and Chair of the National, Federal & State High School Associations and the Consumer Health Information Institute as well as Chair of the Missouri Association for Social Welfare. She was a White House Advisor from Missouri on Children and Youth as well as the vice chair for the Missouri Division of Aging Advisory Council and the Missouri Conference of Child Abuse and Neglect, the Jackson County Family Preservation Task Force, Senior Link, and the Francis Family Childhood Development Oversight Committee. She served the Truman Medical Centers Board on the Family Preservation Task Force, The UMKC Family Study Center, the UMKC Women’s Council and the Women’s Foundation of Greater Kansas City. Again, she was awarded multiple times for these activities.

CIVIC/COMMUNITY SERVICE and LEADERSHIP Very important to Mary Kay were her layers of community service and leadership over many years. She served her city, her county, her state and her nation proudly. Her earliest service was to the Greater Kansas City Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Jackson County Welfare Commission and the Sister Cities Commission. This grew into the many and varied commitments partially listed above. Her commitments varied from the KC Rose Society to the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. She received the ATHENA award from the Chamber for “excellency in leadership and community service”. She became co-chair of the KC Council on Philanthropy Family Conservancy. She was voted “The Kindest Kansas /Citian”, an award of which she was especially proud. She was “ nonprofit volunteer of the year” for KC’s Council on Philanthropy and a “woman of Distinction” from AAUW’s Council on Philanthropy. She was awarded the “Spirit Award” by the Gillis Center, “Woman of the Year” from the Central Exchange, “Excellence in Board Leadership and Management” from MATRIX ,“Show Me Missouri Women” from MASW, and the “Women of Achievement” Award from the Girl Scouts. In her later years, she was elected to the Starr KC Women’s Hall of Fame based at UMKC, a crowning achievement.

Mary Kay was predeceased by her grandmother, her parents, her father-in-law Theodore R. Shepard, her husbands (the two W’s) William R. McPhee, M.D. and William E. Pfeiffer, Sr., along with her beloved daughter Martha A. McPhee, J.D. She is survived by her son, Mark S. McPhee, M.D. (Julie), her son-in-law John G. Taft (Laura), her grandchildren Molly A. McPhee (Rebecca), Mary Allison Taft-McPhee (Julie), Ian A. McPhee, Lauren Taft-McPhee Ramsey (Tim) and Colin Taft (Betsy). Also succeeding her are five beautiful and vibrant great grandchildren, Penny & Rosie Ramsey along with Lenny, Livy and Teddy Taft.

Mary Kay died peacefully and at home on May 31st, 2025, just shy of her 98th birthday. Funeral, cremation and interment of ashes at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and at the Mary Kay McPhee Garden at Forest Hills Calvary Cemetery will be private to the family. A celebration of life will be held for Mary Kay on Friday, July 25, 2025, at Mission Hills Country Club from 4:30-6:30 pm. To paraphrase the great poet, W.H. Auden, “Earth receive an honored guest: Mary Kay is laid to rest.”