Featured Corporator

Get to know Mary Kemp

When individuals have a lot to give, institutions like Emerson benefit. Mary Kemp has been that kind of individual since moving to Concord 35 years ago. After Mrs. Kemp, her husband, Robert, and their four daughters had settled in, she intended to return to nursing. The Ohio native formerly worked in a medical-surgical setting and had served as a clinical instructor.

“Instead, I had another baby—a fifth daughter—who was born at Emerson in 1976,” Mrs. Kemp recalls. “I received very good care at Emerson, and if we had emergencies with the children, we always had a good experience there. It’s a fine community hospital. Everyone I know feels the same way.”

Mrs. Kemp soon joined the Emerson Hospital Auxiliary and was helping run the popular teas and Operation Coffee Cup—events featuring speakers from the hospital that were designed to increase auxiliary membership throughout the towns in Emerson’s service area. By 1995, she was president of the auxiliary and, along with it, a member of the hospital’s Board of Trustees.

“At that point, it was a full-time job, as well as a wonderful and meaningful experience,” she says. “We had numerous fundraisers, such as the Christmas Shop, which was held at the Concord Armory. It featured items from arts and crafts vendors, we had a dinner on ‘preview night,’ and the public came to shop the next day. We typically raised about $25,000 for Emerson programs.”

Mrs. Kemp is proud of the role the auxiliary plays. “When the hospital announced its capital campaign in 1998, the auxiliary pledged $1 million,” she says. No one knows better the many ways the auxiliary has benefited Emerson; she wrote a history of the auxiliary, which was founded in 1924, at the time of its 75th anniversary and updated it ten years later.

The connection is personal. “All my friends have come from the auxiliary,” she notes. “It’s a remarkable organization.”

The feeling is mutual, according to those who have known Mrs. Kemp over the years. “Not only has Mary contributed countless hours on behalf of the auxiliary, but when she served as president, her warm and generous nature created an environment of inclusiveness,” says Leslie Cheney, past-president of the auxiliary. “It has been such a pleasure to work with her.”

Mrs. Kemp’s years on the board coincided with important events that shaped Emerson’s future. “The hospital’s relationship with Partners Health Care was established, the Bethke Cancer Center was planned, and the Westford Health Center was ready to open,” she recalls. “While serving on the board, I gained an appreciation for the challenges the hospital faces. There are new ones every year.”

As a corporator, she is enthusiastic about the current efforts at deepening the group’s involvement with the hospital. “So many of the corporators are leaders in their communities,” she says. “It’s a good idea to tap into that talent.”

Although Mrs. Kemp is engaged in other area organizations, including Orchard House, Friends of the Concord Orchestra and the Garden Club of Concord, Emerson is special. She and her husband are long-time supporters of the hospital.

“We want to give to the community,” she says. “Being in nursing, health care is of great concern to me, and I know of the excellent quality of care each patient receives at Emerson. Besides, Emerson has become a part of me.”