Mary P. Sinclair
| Mary P. Sinclair | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Mary Jean Palcich September 23, 1918 Chisholm, Minnesota |
| Died | January 14, 2011 (aged 92) Northampton, Massachusetts United States |
| Resting place | Midland, Michigan |
| Residence | Midland, Michigan |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Masters and Doctorate |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan |
| Occupation | teacher, librarian, technical researcher, environmental activist |
| Known for | Environmental Activism |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | William D. Sinclair (1945-2001) |
| Children | 5, including Peter Sinclair |
Mary P. Sinclair (September 23, 1918 – January 14, 2011) was an American environmental activist and "one of the nation’s foremost lay authorities on nuclear energy and its impact on the natural and human environment".
She was born Mary Jean Palcich, raised in Chisholm, Minnesota where she was high school valedictorian, then graduated from the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, Minnesota. Subsequently, she was a teacher and editor for Chemical Industries magazine. She worked as a librarian at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., where she met and married William Sinclair in 1945. After his graduation from Georgetown University Law Center, the couple moved to his previous home town of Midland, Michigan. Mary took a job as a technical researcher at Dow Chemical Company, and the couple had five children. She also worked for the Atomic Energy Commission as a technical writer, abstracting research reports
When Consumers Power announced their intentions to build the Palisades Nuclear Generating Station on the shoreline of Lake Michigan in 1967, Mary Sinclair's background in nuclear fission technology prompted her to write a letter to the editor questioning the safety of several elements of their plan.
Soon after that, a nuclear plant was proposed to supply power for Dow Chemical in Midland, Michigan where she lived. Sinclair became more vocal in her opposition. She became more knowledgeable about the problems with nuclear power, complaining that important information was not being made public, and citizens had a right to know about the risks and problems that could affect their health and future. According to the Bentley Historical Library at the University of Michigan, her papers "illustrate how one individual's efforts can have a wide and far-reaching impact on environmental issues".
...
Wikipedia