24 Facts About Mary Dee

Mary Dee grew up in Homestead, Pennsylvania, and then studied at Howard University for two years.

Mary Dee moved her show, Movin' Around with Mary Dee, to Baltimore and broadcast from station WSID from 1956 to 1958.

Mary Dee is considered a pioneer in developing the radio format that combines coverage of community affairs with music and news.

Mary Dee was one of the first two black women admitted to the Association of American Women in Radio and Television, and was successful in campaigning for the organization to forgo meetings in segregated facilities.

Mary Dee approached the station manager, who told her he would hire her on a trial basis if she could secure a sponsor.

Mary Dee's fans crossed color lines, particularly with regard to her gospel music segment.

Mary Dee received mail from blacks as well as whites, and had both black and white sponsors.

Mary Dee pioneered a radio format that combined coverage of community affairs with music and news.

Mary Dee brought in her brother Mal, at the time a reporter of the Pittsburgh Courier, to do a segment on the news covering police beatings, poor housing, segregation issues, and other legal barriers to blacks.

Mary Dee later brought in Hazel Garland and Toki Schalk Johnson to cover women's items and had a segment featuring teenagers.

Music was integral to the growth of the arts and Mary Dee was part of the scene.

Mary Dee took requests from fans who could watch her broadcasting from a storefront window.

In 1958, Mary Dee was offered a show at WHAT radio in Philadelphia.

Mary Dee aired a program called Songs of Faith, featuring gospel music, for the next six years, gaining wide popularity.

Mary Dee hosted live gospel music shows and lived in the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood of North Philadelphia.

Mary Dee raised money for schools and mentored young musicians like George Benson to help them start their music careers.

Mary Dee hosted events to raise money for community improvement projects, receiving many awards and honors from civic groups.

Mary Dee was active in Alpha Gamma Chi and Iota Phi Lambda, business sororities aimed at providing better opportunities for black women, as well as the NAACP and the National Council of Negro Women.

Mary Dee was one of the first two black women admitted to the Association of American Women in Radio and Television, the other being Alma John.

Mary Dee died on March 17,1964, at Hahnemann University Hospital in Philadelphia from colon cancer.

Mary Dee was honored with two funeral services, one held at Jones Memorial Baptist Church in Philadelphia, the other at the Clark Memorial Baptist Church in Homestead, attended by thousands of mourners.

Mary Dee was buried in Restland-Lincoln Memorial Park Cemetery in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, alongside family members.

Mary Dee is widely reported to have been the first black woman disc jockey in the United States, though tracing ethnic broadcasting is difficult at a time when there were few opportunities for African Americans and other minorities who were often ignored by the media.

In 2011, Dee was honored by the Media Association of Pittsburgh with the Thomas J MacWilliams Lifetime Achievement Award.