Mary Sharp Foucht (1896-1974)

Mary Sharp Foucht was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1896 to her father, Alexander A. Sharp, an 1883 graduate of Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and her mother, M. Jennie Beyard. She left Philadelphia for schooling at the Episcopal Girl's school of the College of Sisters of Bethany, in Topeka, Kansas, and continued her studies in that state, at Washburn College in Topeka.

She remained in Kansas after her graduation and rose in the field of education to become the Assistant Secretary for the Kansas State Board of Education. After completing her work on the Board of Education, she became a partner in the John G Laforge Company, an investment securities concern in Chicago, Illinois. For the remainder of her life she lived in Chicago, Illinois, where she raised a family with her husband, Proctor Dutton Foucht.

Mary Sharp Foucht holds the distinction of being the first woman elected to the Dickinson College Board of Trustees. She was named in 1954 under the presidency of William Edel. In this, she received substantial support and encouragement of the women of the Mary Dickinson Club, who valued her financial contributions to the College. In memory of her father, Dr. Alexander A. Sharp, class of 1883, she had made possible the creation of the Sharp Room in the Spahr Library, and also the Sharp Memorial Lounge located in Drayer Hall. She also started the Foucht Fund, which helped the College Library purchase books.

Foucht became a life member of the Dickinson College Board of trustees in 1971. Mary Sharp Foucht died in March 1974. She was seventy-five years old.