Tuscaloosa Mourns A Community Leader With A Remarkable Legacy

Tuscaloosa lost one of its pillars of the community Friday with the passing of Mary Ann Phelps at her home at the age of 93. She was a power behind many community organizations and volunteer for numerous civic groups and along with her late husband, attorney Sam Phelps, was a key influencer in the development of the Tuscaloosa County Park and Recreation Authority (TCPARA).

Mary Ann Phelps graduated from Auburn University and moved to Tuscaloosa in 1956 to teach math and science in Tuscaloosa City and Walker County Schools. It was the beginning of her love for Tuscaloosa and deep involvement in the community.

"Mrs. Phelps was a difference-maker, who saw the positive possibilities of investing her time, talent and treasure into Tuscaloosa," Mayor Walt Maddox stated in remembering the Eufaula native. "She will be missed, but her legacy will be felt for generations."

Her legacy will include her impact on the YMCA, Junior League, Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, the League of Women Voters, and the Tuscaloosa Riverwalk Committee, West Alabama Rehabilitation Center, Hospice of West Alabama (where she was a founding member) and numerous other organizations.

She also served on the boards of Tuscaloosa Regions Bank and the now Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama.

"Mary Ann was such a high impact citizen and marvelous community leader," says former chamber President and CEO Johnnie Aycock who witnessed her deep care for the community. "Her influence in seeking the best for our community was unmatched and bringing people together to set and achieve visions that led to a higher level of livability and economic vitality will be her legacy."

It wasn't just civic groups that benefitted from Mrs. Phelps guidance. As a DCH Foundation member, she co-chaired the capital campaign to fund the construction of the $39 million Manderson Cancer Treatment Center which opened at DCH in 2009.

Both Mrs. Phelps and her husband of 58 years received the Pillar of the Community awards; Sam in 2005 and Mary Ann in 2011.

Grateful organizations recognized Mrs. Phelps for her involvement since arriving in Tuscaloosa. She was named Tuscaloosa Civitan Club Citizen of the Year, United Way Volunteer of the Year and the Alabama Parks and Recreation Society Service Award. Her 27 years of exceptional leadership on the TCPARA board led to the naming of the Mary Ann Phelps Activity Center on Rock Quarry Drive in her honor in 2002.

Survivors include her son, Scott (Carroll); three grandchildren, Sam Taylor Phelps (Lauren), Ann Phelps Hill (Rudy) and Paul Chandler Phelps; and five great-grandchildren, her brother, Al Peak, and sister, Martha Grant.

According to her family, in lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Mason’s Place All-Inclusive Playground through the PARA Foundation, P.O. Box 2496, Tuscaloosa, AL 35403; First Presbyterian Church, 900 Greensboro Ave., Tuscaloosa, AL 35401; or the DCH Manderson Cancer Center, 809 University Blvd. E, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401.

In her obituary released by her family thanks were offered to the Reverend Michael Bailey, the Reverend Lou Ann Sellers, and the Reverend Paul Pradat. The family also wishes to thank caregivers Gloria Mays, Don Jemison, Vera Archibald, and Ashley Martin of Hospice of West Alabama, and Home RN.

Following a family service, a visitation will be held at noon Thursday, Aug. 21, at the First Presbyterian Church in Tuscaloosa.