Remembering Dr. Mary Kostalos

written by Lindsey-Rose Flowers, Environmental Education Manager

Mary Schlitt Kostalos

April 4, 1944 - June 23, 2022

The Nine Mile Run (NMR) Valley in Frick Park has seen a lot of changes over the last 50 years. But, from the early 1970s until 2021, there was at least one constant presence, that of Mary Kostalos, a longtime member, and two-term President, of the UpstreamPgh Board of Directors. Mary’s passion for NMR started in the late 1960s. The stream was highly polluted by sewage and industrial waste and Mary wanted to study the stream and its tributaries to raise awareness of the issues and, hopefully, find a way to make it a better ecosystem for all. She wrote her doctoral dissertation on the macroinvertebrates of Falls Ravine Stream and earned her PhD in 1971 from the University of Pittsburgh.

Mary went on to teach in the Biology Department at Chatham University for many years. She inspired countless students along the way. She supported her students in their academic pursuits, encouraged them to become stewards of the world around them, and see the beauty and importance of all living things. Mary advocated for women in the sciences not only locally through her teaching and her position as Chatham’s Dean of Students, but nationally through testifying before Congress. Before the restoration of Nine Mile Run began, Mary and her students completed research studies and ecological restoration projects. Indeed, she was one of the first people to begin the fight for the larger restoration that would be completed by the US Army Corps in 2006. Mary felt deeply in tune with the consequences of living in the urban environment and worked to ensure that the natural world is cared for and appreciated.

Defending and researching the Fern Hollow and Nine Mile Run valleys was Mary’s life’s work. She was more than an academic. She was a unique, caring person who shined a light on all around her. She had deep faith in humanity and believed that people were fundamentally good and wanted to do the right thing. Sometimes they needed to be shown how to make a positive impact. Mary was giving of her knowledge, her time, her financial resources, and her compassion. She loved gardening, hiking in Frick Park with her dog, Medley, and volunteering with her church. She adored animals of all shapes and sizes, marveled in the natural world and was eternally curious.

I was incredibly sad to hear of Mary’s passing, but I was also incredibly blessed to have had the chance to work with her and be mentored by her. She was such a dedicated member of the UpstreamPgh family, and she will be greatly missed.

Special thanks to: Lisa Brown and Brenda Smith for contributing