A Spotlight on Mary Seidler

BY BLAKE CARLSON

Mary Seidler has always believed that there’s nothing a woman can’t achieve. Growing up on a turkey farm outside Mt. Vernon, Iowa, Mary spent summers with her maternal grandparents in Chicago. An office manager with an 8th grade education, it was her grandmother who instilled in Mary that the sky was the limit for what she could accomplish.

Mary attended Cornell College and graduated in 1961 after being the first woman elected Student Body President. Soon after, she returned to Chicago, the beloved city of her childhood, to begin a career. After a brief stint as a recruiter for Cornell in the Chicago area, Mary set out for a new challenge at Harris Bank. In 1976 she was named Vice President, one of the first women to achieve the rank at any major Chicago bank. Until 1974, an unmarried woman in America could still be denied a credit card, and a married woman required a husband’s signature. Her achievements were no ordinary feat.

Mary was also a regular attendee of the Lyric Opera of Chicago, which her grandmother introduced her to as a child. “At a young age, my grandmother developed a love for the arts, particularly opera, and she passed that love on to me,” Mary said. She’s a devout Puccini fan—La Bohème and Turandot are among her favorites. Verdi’s Rigoletto also makes the list.

Meanwhile in Des Moines, Mary’s sister Rosalie Gallagher, an accomplished interior designer, met Stan Seidler and his wife after they relocated to the city in 1980 with the consolidation of Stan’s company headquarters. Soon after, Stan’s wife passed away.

Mary with her sister Rosalie Gallagher (left)

Having been a dear friend, Rosalie encouraged Stan to meet Mary, whose husband had also recently passed. “I told Stan, ‘If you’re ever in Chicago you should look my sister up.’ He tried, but she was out of town on a trip. Mary came for Thanksgiving later that year, they hit it off, and the rest is history,” Rosalie said. Stan and Mary were married in 1983, and Mary relocated to Des Moines.

In 1984 philanthropist Jackie Blank brought Mary to her first performance at Des Moines Metro Opera. “Jackie was a blessed influence in my life. Knowing I am an opera fan she made sure I got to Indianola to attend a performance at Blank Performing Arts Center. I was blown away by the quality,” Mary said. She was quickly recruited to be a member of the DMMO Board of Directors and would become Board President in 1987.

Mary’s presidency was business-as-usual for a budding opera company until Executive Director Doug Duncan’s unexpected death in January 1988. With Founder and Artistic Director Robert Larsen, newly appointed Executive Director Jerilee Mace and “an exceptional Board of Directors,” Mary spearheaded an effort to raise the funds for the 1988 season in just six months while taking steps to ensure the long-term sustainability of the company.

Mary and Jerilee Mace are presented with an award from former Governor Terry Branstadt

“Following Doug Duncan’s untimely death, Mary not only fully embraced the role of Board President but became the de facto DMMO Development Director,” recalls Mace, who served as Executive Director until her retirement in 2006. “She was a force to be reckoned with and excelled in this capacity while also becoming both my mentor and valued friend.”

After just 15 seasons, the dream of professional opera in the heartland seemed almost too unlikely to succeed. It may not have, if not for the support and expertise of people like Mary, who stepped up to keep the dream alive. Her legacy is recognized each day through the Des Moines Metro Opera Foundation—the endowment she helped to establish over 35 years ago.

“For the two years I was Board President, I set aside my corporate ambitions and devoted myself fulltime to making sure the company survived,” Mary said. “With the help of dedicated opera lovers and people in the Des Moines corporate community who believed in our viability, we developed an endowment campaign to ensure DMMO would continue to be a thriving cultural asset.”

Mary and Stan have continued to be devout supporters throughout the years, and DMMO is just one of many organizations to benefit from Mary’s leadership. She is also an honorary trustee of the Des Moines Art Center; the Grand Teton Music Festival in Jackson Hole, Wyoming; and her alma mater, Cornell College. Mary is a lifetime member of the DMMO Honorary Board of Directors. Mary and Stan also established the Seidler Foundation, which focuses support on education, the arts and food insecurity.

A distinct confidence and a love for opera instilled by her grandmother has led Mary Seidler on a prolific life’s journey—one of great accomplishment, filled with the spirit of giving back. Her community and the world are better because of it.

Mary with Stan Seidler