Alumna Takes Center Stage With Theatre Fund

Mary Devlin BS ’69, MAT ’71 loves watching stories unfold on stage. “I just marvel at what actors can do!” says Devlin, who majored in English. Now an Ashland, Oregon, resident, she enjoys the renowned plays of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, as well as productions of other local theatre companies. 

Mary Devlin BS ’69 MAT ’71
Credit: Nina Johnson

“I never took a theatre class while I was at Lewis & Clark,” she says. “I believed, erroneously, that shy people couldn’t be on stage. It’s one of my biggest regrets because now I know that’s not true.” Devlin brought her passion for stories to the creation of the Rebecca Lingafelter Theatre Student Enrichment Fund. The fund provides grants that support student research and performance projects; theatre productions; conferences and workshops; internships and stipends; and supplies.

“I was having dinner with a Lewis & Clark connection, and we were talking about the professors we had liked at the college,” remembers Devlin. “After that conversation, I thought I’d like to honor one of those professors. They were all great during my time, but most are gone now. I wanted to honor someone living, so the person could enjoy it.”

Devlin knew Rebecca Lingafelter, associate professor of theatre and department chair, from local theatre. “I love her work, and I know she is an excellent teacher,” she says. “I thought the fund would be a great way to support students, local theatre, and theatre throughout the country.”

Lingafelter is honored by the gesture. “It is so meaningful to have Mary’s support for our student theatre artists,” says Lingafelter. “Her vision for a fund that connects students with opportunities leading to fulfilling creative careers reflects her experience as an educator and her passion for the performing arts.”

After earning both her BA and MAT from Lewis & Clark, Devlin spent five years in England working in publishing before returning to Oregon to complete a master’s in library science at the University of Oregon. She went on to serve in libraries at the University of Portland and Portland General Electric.

Devlin later was director of the central library in downtown Portland, a local library consortium, and the 13 branch libraries at the Fort Vancouver Regional Library. Along the way, she cofounded a library consulting group with Patrick Borunda BA ’68, received a National Library of Medicine Fellowship to study medical library informatics, and served on L&C’s Board of Alumni.

“At Lewis & Clark, I learned how to learn,” says Devlin. “I graduated feeling like I could do just about anything.” Devlin has continued to take classes in her retirement on topics such as art history, Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets, fungi, Mahjong, and more. And, yes, she has taken acting courses, too!

“It’s really all thanks to Lewis & Clark,” says Devlin. “Being encouraged to try different classes makes all the difference. And the friends I made at the college have been instrumental in my life in so many ways.”

To make a gift to the Rebecca Lingafelter Theatre Student Enrichment Fund, please contact Rebecca Holt, assistant vice president for advancement, at 503-768-7943 or rebeccah@lclark.edu.