Hiebert, Mary J. Regier (1884-1970)
Mary J. Regier: college matron and benefactor; born 4 September 1884 in Henderson, Nebraska, USA, the second of three children of Johann Regier (22 March 1839, Ladekopp, Molotschna, South Russia - 8 July 1902, Henderson, Nebraska) and Maria (Schellenberg) Regier (29 August 1856, Tiege, Molotschna, South Russia - 28 April 1912, Henderson, Nebraska). Mary had four older siblings from her father's first marriage. At the age of 76 Mary married Jacob J. Hiebert (20 January 1880, Olgafeld, Fuerstenland, South Russia - 2 June 1966, Dinuba, California) on 25 August 1961. Mary died 31 January 1970 in Hillsboro, Kansas.
Mary exemplified the spirit of generosity. Following the destruction by fire of the administration building at Tabor College, Hillsboro, Kansas in 1918, Regier, Tabor alumna (BA, 1924), sold 80 acres of land inherited from her father valued at $20,000, and gave $15,000 to the college as an annuity to build a women's dormitory. Her gift covered approximately one-half the cost of construction of the "Ladies Home," providing living quarters for women students' dining facilities for both men and women. Several years after the fire, while a student at the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, she accepted the invitation to become the first matron of this home, a position with a large and varied job description. She continued in this position for 20 years, receiving only free board and room and the interest on her annuity gift. She left Tabor in 1940 to establish a rooming house for female students at Emporia, Kansas. In 1955 she donated $5,000 for the purchase of books for the new library to enable Tabor to comply with accreditation standards.
Bibliography
Frye Horn, Wanda in Katie Funk Wiebe, ed. Women Among the Brethren. Hillsboro, KS: General Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches, 1979: 185-195.
GRANDMA (The Genealogical Registry and Database of Mennonite Ancestry) Database, 7.04 ed. Fresno, CA: " California Mennonite Historical Society, 2013: #29338.
| Author(s) | Wesley Prieb |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1990 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Prieb, Wesley. "Hiebert, Mary J. Regier (1884-1970)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1990. Web. 21 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Hiebert,_Mary_J._Regier_(1884-1970)&oldid=112417.
APA style
Prieb, Wesley. (1990). Hiebert, Mary J. Regier (1884-1970). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 21 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Hiebert,_Mary_J._Regier_(1884-1970)&oldid=112417.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 5, p. 370. All rights reserved.
©1996-2024 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.