Magic Monday Alumnae Spotlight

It’s Magic Monday: August 3, 2020!

This month we honor a Woman of Mercy who exemplifies that a Mercy Girl has integrity, is passionate, and appreciates all that she has. A member of our first graduating class, Sally Riley ’64, credits her experiences at Mercy as transformational in her life.

Name: Sarah “Sally” Anne Riley '64

Post Mercy Education:

B.A., Biology, Mount Saint Agnes College, 1964, including one of the first undergraduate courses in Computer Science ever offered in the United States
Courses in Library & Information Science, Towson University
Courses in Operations Research, Loyola University, Maryland
Numerous courses from vendors and special library associations in Online Database Searching, Information Science, and Management Science

Personal and Professional Achievements:

I worked as a research librarian and a mini-computer systems manager in Research and Development and then as a Management Specialist at McCormick & Company, Inc. I have been retired for more than 12 years and now volunteer at the Historical Society of Baltimore County, and on the Mount Saint Agnes College Alumnae Board, where I wrote a history of the Mount Saint Agnes Campus, focusing especially on the College. In conjunction with two other volunteers at the Historical Society, I compiled an illustrated history lecture on Warren Village which has been delivered 20 times over the past five years, to more than 1,200 interested Baltimore County citizens and friends.

Were there any classes you took at Mercy that stand-out to you?

Advanced Biology my senior year, which was entirely a lab course, most of it in genetics, was my favorite class. I learned how to design and carry out experiments, how to test the hypotheses in the design, and how to interpret the results at the conclusion.

Were there any Mercy faculty members who especially impacted your life? Why?

There were so many! Srs. Frederick and Augusta who taught us how to analyze literary works; Srs. Joseph Mary, Joannes, and Francis Mary who taught fantastic math courses which made us appreciate numbers and their relationships to one another; Sr. Joseph Mary who made chemistry fascinating and easy; Sr. Trinita who taught BSCS Biology and Advanced Biology, but so much more; and Sr. Estelle who taught us history and economics. The skills I learned in Srs. Maris Stella, Frederick, and Jeremy’s Latin and French classes helped me immensely in my work as a research librarian in the food industry.

What has Mercy meant to you?

Mercy High School taught me to be grateful for the brain God gave me and to use it to the best of my ability. I believe the classes I had in high school helped me to determine the best capabilities of my brain and taught me to use those capabilities in the best way possible to help my fellow human beings. I learned that I could accomplish even more working in conjunction with others. I believe I learned more in my four years at MHS, which was useful throughout my life and career, than I did in college or elsewhere.