Mary Sandlin Fletcher Worthen

Mary Sandlin Fletcher Worthen, age 97, of Little Rock passed away Monday, June 15, 2015. A fifth generation Arkansan whose family roots stretch back in the state to 1815, Mary Sandlin Fletcher was born to Mamie Sandlin and Tom Fletcher on Fletcher Farm outside of Scott, Arkansas, on October 6, 1917. Homeschooled until the 9th grade, Mary attended East Side Junior High and graduated from Little Rock High School and Little Rock Junior College before entering Vassar College. She left college to marry Booker Worthen in 1937. After marriage she entered into family and civic life. In 1938 she joined the Junior League of Little Rock, participating in several League projects including the Well Baby Clinic, the Speech Correction School and the Children's Theater. The Junior League named her Sustainer of the Year in 1971. Her love of music drew her to a number of activities. Her husband Booker helped found the precursor to the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, and she remained active in the Little Rock's symphony orchestra since their marriage. She served as President of the Arkansas Orchestra Society Board, and she was later named lifetime board member. She helped establish the Chamber Music Society and served as its president. She was an accomplished pianist, performing at the Aesthetic Club and in other venues. She also sang in the choir of Trinity Cathedral in her younger years. She is the author of The History of Trinity: The Cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of Arkansas, Little Rock, 1884-1995; co-author of Recipes in Perpetuity, a book of recipes and lore related to Mount Holly Cemetery; compiler, with Sybil Crawford, of the Mount Holly Cemetery Burial Index; and editor of Matters and Things in General, readings from Arkansas's territorial period. She was given the Walter Brown Award for Local History by the Arkansas Historical Association for her article "The Boathouse: the Athletic Association of Little Rock, 1882-1938," published in the Pulaski County Historical Review. She also wrote a pamphlet on medicinal herb lore called "Frontier Pharmacy," published by the Herb Society. Joining the Board of the Mount Holly Cemetery Association in 1953 she served as treasurer for 41 years. She became famous for her tours of the cemetery, often sold at charity auctions. She and her good friend Peg Smith are featured on a DVD tour of the cemetery, produced by the Historic Arkansas Museum. Active in the Herb Society of America (HSA), she was co-treasurer of the National Herb Garden, developed by the HSA at the National Arboretum in Washington, DC. She was a founder and Chair of the Arkansas Unit of the HSA and was a long time volunteer at the Arkansas Chapter's garden sites, especially at the Governor's Mansion and Historic Arkansas Museum. Her love of herbs extended into the kitchen. She was known as an outstanding cook, prone to the use of herbs in her culinary creations. She was particularly playful in the kitchen, once throwing a "colorful party" in which every item on the menu displayed a bright and distinct color, mostly not naturally its own. She was a member of the Women's Emergency Committee to Open Our Schools begun by her cousin, Adolphine Fletcher Terry, and was a founding member of the Board of the Arkansas Supreme Court Historical Society and the board of the Arkansas Community Foundation, and served as President of the Aesthetic Club. She was committed to historic preservation, serving twice as Chair of the Quapaw Quarter Tour of Historic Homes. She also served on the Boards of the UALR History Institute and the UALR Alumni Association. She received the UALR Shield of the Trojan Distinguished Alumni Award, and in 2006, UALR awarded her an honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters for her civic, cultural, historical, and charitable work over the years. She became involved in the Arkansas Arts Center as a board member as well as President of the Fine Arts Club when the Vineyard in the Park restaurant was established. She enjoyed the fact that for many years she held the liquor license of the Vineyard restaurant. She served on the Arkansas Commemorative Commission which manages the Old State House and Trapnall Hall, and on the Board of Scott Connections, donating the well-house from Fletcher Farm to Scott Connections settlement. Because of her commitment to museums over the years, the Arkansas Museums Association awarded her the Peg Newton Smith Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008. She has been a member of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral all her life, serving on the Vestry as well as being President of the Trinity Cathedral Churchwomen and the Episcopal Diocesan Churchwomen. She served as secretary of the executive council of the Diocese of Arkansas. She was featured in the book Horizons: 100 Arkansas Women of Achievement compiled by the Arkansas Press Women in 1980. She served as President of the Family Service Agency, Elizabeth Mitchell Children's Home, and Forest Park Elementary School PTA. She is preceded in death by her husband, Booker Worthen, her son, George G. Worthen, and her brother, Tom Fletcher. She is survived by her sons, Tom Worthen (Amy) of Des Moines, Iowa and Bill Worthen (Kathy) of Little Rock; daughter-in-law, Sherry Worthen of Little Rock; grandchildren, Shana Worthen (Collin Stewart) of Loughton, UK, Maria Worthen (Paolo Sacca') of Falls Church, Virginia, Rachel Louisa Worthen of Little Rock, Emilie Partis (Michael) of Brisbane, Austrialia, Ellen Karr (Jason) of Scott, Arkansas; her great-grandchild, Wren Worthen Stewart and her expected great-grandchild, Georgia Sharon Karr. A reception will be held at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Morrison Hall on Friday, June 19, 2015 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. A funeral service will be held at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral on Saturday, June 20, 2015 at 10 a.m. followed by burial at Mount Holly Cemetery. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Mount Holly Cemetery Association, Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Mary Fletcher Worthen Youth Orchestra Conductor's Chair (Arkansas Symphony Orchestra) or Historic Arkansas Museum. Arrangements by Ruebel Funeral Home, www.ruebelfuneralhome.com.