April 5, 2019 Vol. 64, Issue 3
theironblade@ferrum.edu
Ferrum College
215 Ferrum Mountain Rd., Ferrum, VA 24088
Mary Bishop Pays Ferrum a Visit By Mary Stoudt
Grad Caps
Senior Spotlights
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“When she [Mary’s mother Adria] got pregnant so many things were just a few years off,” Mary Bishop said during a panelist discussion. The “things” that were off at the time of the birth of Adria’s first child, Ronnie, is what led Adria to hide Ronnie from the world and ultimately what prompted Mary to write her book, Don’t You Ever: My Mother’s Secret Son. To begin her career in writing, Mary attended and graduated from the Columbia Journalism School. Previously Mary has served as a reporter for the Roanoke Times and was on the team with the Philadelphia Inquirer that won a Pulitzer Prize in 1980 for covering a nuclear leak from Three Mile Island located in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. Mary spoke at Ferrum College after previously speaking to Dr. Lana Whited’s Media Law and Ethics class. and joined a discussion panel after her presentation on April 1. Mary’s presentation focused on her mother and half-brother, ultimately leading up to the end of both her mother and brother’s lives. The panel discussion was based off Mary’s book, tying into issues of today with single motherhood. The panel included Dr. Allison Harl, Dr. Sharon Stein, Ferrum Senior Leya Dickman, author Mary Bishop, and Dr. Lana Whited as facilitator. Growing up Mary was unaware that she had a halfbrother. She was told by her mother that Ronnie was her cousin and Mary never questioned it. It wasn’t until Mary was 32 years old and applying for a passport that she learned Ronnie was her half-brother. Mary’s mother, Adria, had Ronnie in Lynchburg after discovering about the unplanned pregnancy. Mary said that Adria had no idea of contraceptive when she got pregnant due to her mother passing away while Adria was still young and her having a poor relationship with her step mother. After Adria gave birth to Ronnie she took care of him for a year and took many pictures of Ronnie, even writing
that he was the “sweetest thing on earth” on the back of one of the photos. However, a year after having Ronnie, Adria had to leave the home for unwed mothers where she was staying in Lynchburg and she had no outside support. Adria was sent to Roanoke just after the Great Depression. Adria worked as a housekeeper for other families and it was during this time that social services got involved following a report filed about her and her son Ronnie. Ronnie was then taken and placed with a foster family. Ronnie’s life with his foster family was one of happiness and love, however, he could not stay forever and eventually was sent back to live with his mother, who ended up placing him in an orphanage soon after. After a few years passed, Adria met the love of her life on a farm and eventually got married and gave birth to Mary several years later. Mary’s life was significantly different from Ronnie’s. Mary grew up with her biological parents, had more opportunities, and eventually went to college. Ronnie’s neglect from his mother and other hardships led him to a life of trouble. Ronnie was sent to reform school and later expelled and was later taken by the sheriff deputies at the age of 17 and sent to a mental hospital. Ronnie suffered five rounds of electric shock therapy and it was recorded that he was “mentally ill and retarded,” according to Mary. Eventually Ronnie was deemed of average intelligence and sent to learn how to become a barber. Ronnie kept the profession as a barber until they day he died at the age of 55. Mary became close with her brother in 1991 four years before he passed. During this time, Mary learned more about Ronnie’s life and realized the drastic differences between how they were raised. After learning of those differences, Mary wrote her book. After writing her book, Mary had a revelation about her mother. “I came to the understand why she was so ashamed and Pictured from left to right: Dr. Allison Harl, Dr. Sharon Stein, Leya Dickman, Mary Bishop, Dr. Lana frightened,” Mary said. Whited. Adria gave birth during a Photo credit of Mary Stoudt
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Mary Carter Bishop smiling for a portrait. Photo Courtesy of HarperCollins Publisher
time when women were expected to together.” be married before having a child and were shamed if they were pregnant out of wedlock. The shame that Adria felt caused her to raise Ronnie a different way than she did with Mary. Mary talking about her mother’s shame led into the paneling discussion. Each panelist had their own unique story of single parenting and/ or untraditional parenting. Dr. Allison Harl has been raising her son on her own since his birth and reflected back on the support Mary Bishop’s newest book. that her “Ferrum Photo Courtesy of The Roanoker family” gave her as well as her own. Dr. Sharon Stein The idea of co-parenting even withadopted her daughter from China and out being married is a concept Adria has raised her on her own and also never could have dreamed about reflected on the support she received when she gave birth to Ronnie. from her family and from Ferrum. To close the evening Mary spoke Senior Leya Dickman shared her exabout how her mother would be perience of being a full time student happy and proud about the progress in college while raising a four-yearmade in society and to see Harl and old. Lastly Dr. Lana Whited shared Stein raising their children as single about raising four adopted boys, two parents and Dickman for raising a of which were adopted from Africa. child even after giving birth as a Stein spoke on the idea about teenager. foster homes and how they do Mary’s book “Don’t You Ever: negatively impact a child. In reMy Mother’s Secret Son” is cursponse to this Dickman shared, “You rently available and can be purchased don’t have to be together to parent online.
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