Mary Steichen Calderone

Mary Steichen Calderone was born in 1904 in Paris to her American mother, a well known singer of the area. Mary and her family moved to the United States after the start of World War I, and was sent to live in New York with some family friends. The man she lived with was a doctor, and got her interested in medicine by allowing her to join on rounds and talking about his cases with her.

Mary attended Vassar, starting in 1921, and instead of attending medical school, she studied music, acting and English. She returned to medicine in her thirties, and enrolled in Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. Not wanting to be separated from her daughter any longer, Mary decided against medical residencies, and applied to study public health instead to remain closer to home.

In 1953, Mary became the medical director for Planned Parenthood Federation of American. She started presenting new ideas on sexuality and worked to make information available about contraceptives and advice on sexual health. Mary promoted sex as a normal, healthy part of life, and was looked down on by the public for this unpopular view.

She then left Planned Parenthood to set up the Sex Information and Education Counsel. She received several awards for this work, such as the Elizabeth Blackwell Award for Distinguished Service to Humanity. It is said that Mary, "paved the way for discussions so vital today about sexually transmitted diseases, AIDS, and unwanted pregnancies."

Info from: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/changingthefaceofmedicine/physicians/biography_49.html