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Mary Blanche Bauer Gavin passed away peacefully at home in Santa Fe, New Mexico on Monday, January 7, 2008. Mary was born in Texas on November 18, 1914, the only child of William and Nora (Homeyer) Bauer and grew up in Robstown near Corpus Christi. She was introduced to riding at a very young age by her grandparents, and developed a lifelong love of horses. At the age of 16, she attended the University of Texas and received a Bachelor of Arts Degree. While attending the University, an adventurous streak led her to be the first woman on the college polo team and to take up flying. Her many broken bones and stitches from a plane crash and many horse mishaps cost her parents many sleepless nights. In her junior year, she met a dashing young Army Air Corps pilot from Randolph Field in San Antonio, who courted her for the next few years. Mary and Edward Morris Gavin were married on November 25, 1926, marking the beginning of Mary's 23 year career as an aide-de-camp of a military pilot. She excelled at the social skills necessary for military wives and quickly learned to dispense emotional first aid to new widows, an all-too-common occurrence following the outbreak of Word War II. In 1952, they were transferred to Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, where she became smitten with New Mexico and its people. Following her husband's retirement from the Air Force, they bought a ranch in northern New Mexico and split their time between the ranch and Albuquerque. The ranch and the people and the animals associated with it became one of her great loves and led her to write a book about her experiences. In 1976, Edward and Mary moved to Santa Fe to be close to the cultural opportunities that the city offered. Upon learning that New Mexico did not have a natural history museum or a repository for its rich fossil and mineral heritage, she embarked upon a 30 year odyssey to create, fund and perpetuate the New Mexico Museum of Natural History. She became a regular fixture in the halls of the legislature, lobbying for the museum's continued funding. These activities led to many long friendships both in politics and the museum world. She felt that her work for the museum was a small repayment to the people of New Mexico and especially New Mexico children for all they had given her and her family. She is survived by her daughter, Anne Gavin Cruikshanks of San Luis Obispo, CA; her son, William M. B. Gavin of Bozeman, MT; grandchildren, August Cruikshanks of Toronto, Andrew and Jesse Gavin of Bozeman, MT, and two great-grandsons, Miles and Seth Cruikshanks of Toronto. Interment has taken place at the Santa Fe National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, her family requests that memorial donations be made in her name to the New Mexico Museum of Natural History Foundation. A memorial Service will be scheduled in the spring. The Rivera Family of Santa Fe Funeral Options 417 E. Rodeo Rd, Santa Fe, NM 505-989-7032
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