Special Honorary Achievement
Very few people have been as active a supporter of Ravenna and the Ravenna School System as Mary Powell. Mary began her career as a school bus driver for Ravenna in 1969. In 1979, Superintendent James Coll hired Mary as transportation supervisor. This was during a time when it was very unusual for a woman to be chosen for this type of position, and Mr. Coll’s confidence in her proved correct. Mary organized her drivers into a very cohesive group. She instilled in her drivers the importance of the jobs they did, and her drivers were always willing to go above and beyond the call of duty. Buses routinely passed inspections first time through as did her drivers. When the Athletic Boosters group was floundering, Mary single-handedly kept it going for the next four years. She then served as treasurer for the next nine years. She ran the Boosters football and basketball concession stands with the help of her drivers for the next ten years. Mary has served on the Balloon-A-Fair committee, the Hall of Fame committee, the committee for the new stadium, and every school levy committee since she has lived in Ravenna. She has always been a willing worker for the Ravenna Schools and still sells tickets at athletic events. Mary loves the schools and sings the praises of our school system wherever she goes. Mary retired in 1993 as transportation supervisor. Not content to sit idly, she now works as a tax professional.