Mary Norcross Collection

FULL FINDING AID AND LIST OF MATERIALS

Read the finding aid for the Mary Norcross Collection processed between 2020-2024.

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Biography

Mary McLeod-Norcross was born in Pasadena, but grew up in the North Hollywood area of Los Angeles California. She was married, and had four children.

In 1980 Mary left her marriage. It was through therapy that she felt she could fully come out and take part in the lesbian community in LA. She frequently went to the black and white dances at the Los Angeles LGBT Center and was involved with the Southern California Women for Understanding. Mary found out about the volunteer opportunities at the Mazer while attending a gay and lesbian event at a park. She started volunteering in 2013.

In 1982 Mary went to school to become a family therapist. She earned a Bachelors degree in Psychology with a specialization in Gerontology (1983), a Masters degree in Marital and Family Counseling and Genterology (1984), and a PhD in Counseling Psychology (1986) from Sierra University, University Without Walls program. She wrote three dissertations, “Challenge of the Aging Family” (1983), “Alzheimer’s Disease” (1984), and “A Gerontology Case-Management Private Practice: Uncharted territory” (1986). She was dyslexic, which made school difficult, but felt she achieved success in her studies after finding her passion for Gerontology, a field focused on the physical, mental, and social concerns of aging.

From her studies, she went on to work as a geriatric case manager and other positions in social services, convalescence, and as a caretaker. She was a member of the National Association of Geriatrict Care Managers, the American Association for Counseling and Development, the Older Women’s League (OWL), American Mental Health and Counselors Association, and the American Society on Aging (ASA).

Mary donated all of her academic work to the Mazer in the hopes that future generations of lesbians can learn from the past, and the many lives people have had. Because Mary came out later in her life, she believed that the Mazer could be a place for young people to gain new perspectives, to explore their own identities, and be in community with other lesbian or queer individuals. In her life, the Mazer was a cathartic place that helped her feel comfortable with her sexuality.

She bought a house in Van Nuys in 1995, and lived there until her death in 2014 from breast and ovarian cancer.