Mary McConnell Bailey passed away in February 2011 at 88, leaving a $20 million fortune to be divided between her favorite two New York institutions – the New York Public Library and Central Park. The library and Central Park Conservancy each recently received checks for $10 million.
Bailey lived a modest life that did not hint at the wealth she possessed. Her husband died in World War II and she had no children. She came from a wealthy New England family that owned shares in the Roaring Spring Blank Book Co., which produces the popular marble-covered notebooks. She moved to the city in the 1940s, was a student at Columbia and for a short time taught kindergarten in Chelsea, until her mother died and left her a large inheritance. She has since volunteered at hospitals and schools.
Read the original article here.