Mary Ellen Bogin died on April 20, 2025. She was 77 years old. She is remembered by friends and family for her warmth and empathy and her playful sense of humor as well as her incisive intellect.
Born and raised in Michigan farm country north of Detroit, Mary earned a B.A. from Antioch College in Ohio and a master’s degree in journalism from Michigan State University. Her journalism career took her to the Daily News in Newburyport, Massachusetts, and the News Bureau at Indiana University in Bloomington.
In 1975, Mary became Director of the News Bureau for Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva. She pursued a Ph.D. in the history of science while raising two children, then spent twenty-two years as a professor at Onondaga Community College teaching American and women’s history.
An engaged citizen, Mary co-directed Citizens for Responsible Waste Management, successfully stopping garbage incinerator construction. She served twenty years representing Geneva on the Ontario County Planning Board.
Mary loved outdoor activities including kayaking on Seneca Lake, hiking the Adirondacks, and bicycling country roads south of Geneva.
She is survived by her husband Michael Bogin, sons Theodore and Alexander Bogin, daughter-in-law Reema Bogin, and extended family. She was predeceased by brother James Morrice.