GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — When Mary Jane Dockeray was a young girl, she took a walk with her aunt down Collindale Avenue in Grand Rapids. As she was walking, she spotted a white stone on the ground and picked it up to look closer.
She handed it to her aunt, a teacher, and asked, “What’s this?”
When her aunt said it was a piece of quartz, Mary Jane was baffled that the rock had a name, and she asked if all rocks had names. She later asked what people who like stones are called.
“Geologists,” her aunt said.
That conversation inspired Mary Jane’s interest in rocks and nature, ultimately leading to the creation of Blandford Nature Center, a natural haven minutes away from Grand Rapids’ busy downtown.
Born in 1927, Mary Jane devoted her life to nature and teaching others, which she did until her death in 2020.
Adopted by hard-working parents who owned a farm, the outdoors were not foreign to Mary Jane. She grew up playing in Collins Woods, which bordered her family's property and is now part of the nature center.
As she grew up, her interest in the environment and nature continued to bloom. She went on to earn a Ph.D. in geology from Michigan State University in 1949. She was one of two women in her class to do so; her dissertation detailed the plan to develop a nature center.
Before graduating, she taught summer nature programs for the Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM). She later worked at GRPM as the Curator of Natural History after graduation. There, she visited schools to teach children about animals and the environment.
When 17 acres of Collins Woods was purchased and staked for development in 1964, Mary Jane didn’t hesitate. Museum Director Frank DuMond supported her goal to obtain the land, and she convinced Victor Blandford to donate 10 acres of the property to develop the nature center.
In 1965, funds were located with help from the Museum Association to build a welcome center, which was established in 1968.
Over the years, Mary Jane continued to obtain land for the nature center in small parcels—and today, it spans 264 acres.
Once a part of GRPM, the nature center separated from the museum in 2003. It was operated by Grand Rapids Public Schools until 2007, and became its own nonprofit in 2009 with the help from the Wege Foundation.
Laurie Gardner, a Blandford board member, first met Mary Jane at GRPM 50 years ago, in 1972. The two became fast friends, and Gardner acted as an adviser during Blandford's transition into a nonprofit.
Gardner said Mary Jane made a first impression like no other.
“Mary Jane was forever youthful and energetic. She was just a firecracker. Full of spunk,” Gardner said. “Nothing deterred her. She was highly energetic, highly determined, unwavering in her passion for the environment and nature and educating all ages about its value.”
Mary Jane Dockeray
This passion for nature translated to lectures and lessons that students of hers remember decades later, Gardner said. Up until the COVID-19 pandemic hit West Michigan, Mary Jane continued to teach.
Mary Jane carried her love for nature into every aspect of her life. Gardner says her home featured labeled specimens, complete with a natural backyard full of pathways and unique rocks. Her slides—nearly 10,000 of them, according to Gardner—covered topics ranging from rock formations to birds to her world travels. She even kept slides and a projector with her, and a kit of geology tools was always in Mary Jane’s car, Gardner said.
Mary Jane traveled extensively throughout the United States, with some trips out of the country. She led nature tours in the Upper Peninsula, visited Alaska and saw volcanoes in Hawaii, where she went scuba diving when she was in her 80s.
Along with a slew of awards, including the Michigan Audubon Society Outstanding Member Award and the Association of Nature Center Administrators’ President’s Award, Mary Jane was inducted into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame in 2012. Gardner said that despite the awards for being a “visionary and a go-getter,” Mary Jane was never focused on personal recognition.
“She was very humble about (awards). She likes the attention when it meant she was going to get what she wanted for her nature center, she was determined and feisty that way, but she didn’t necessarily feel the need for the recognition,” Gardner said.
As a woman in a largely male-dominated field, Gardner said Mary Jane faced unique obstacles. She often said she was grateful for DuMond, who was supportive of Mary Jane's projects.
“I also think she was such a burst of enthusiasm and energy, and she was so determined and she knew her stuff so well,” Gardner said. “She blazed a trail, and people respected her for it.”
Even when Mary Jane retired in 1990 after 41 years, she continued to volunteer at Blandford, travel and teach.
When Mary Jane died in August 2020, community members mourned. In 2021, an event was held to honor her at Blandford. People drove from across the country to come to the event, Gardner said, driving for hours to remember Mary Jane’s legacy. Through her work, Mary Jane changed lives and even influenced her students’ career paths.
Along with the nature center to continue her life's work, a scholarship was started at Grand Valley State University in her name to be rewarded to a student pursuing a career in science.
Mary Jane also taught through different mediums. She wrote a book, "Let's Go Exploring," hosted a nature radio show called "Nature Spy" and narrated a silent film, "These Things Are Ours."
Some of this work is now digitized at the Grand Rapids Public Museum. Blandford Nature Center also highlights parts of her collection.
While Mary Jane’s legacy is continued through Blandford, she is remembered best by community members who knew her in both West Michigan and nationwide.
“She was just a remarkable woman.”
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