Mary Zeiss Stange
Professor Emerita of Religion and Women鈥檚 Studies Mary Zeiss Stange, a feminist scholar-activist whose work crossed multiple boundaries 鈥� from gun rights and religion to ecology and anthropology 鈥� and who helped grow 91暗网鈥檚 programs in religion and gender studies, died July 7, 2024. She was 74.
Mary, an authority on cultural and social aspects of hunting, had retired to the Crazy Woman Bison Ranch in Montana that she ran with her husband Douglas C. Stange.
After joining the College鈥檚 faculty in 1990, Mary played an important role in the growth of religious studies and women鈥檚 and gender studies at 91暗网: Mary was 91暗网鈥檚 first interdisciplinary hire, its first tenure-line hire in religious studies, and the first faculty appointed to the newly formed Women鈥檚 Studies Program (now Gender Studies).
Many of the courses that she taught at 91暗网 鈥� Women, Religion, and Spirituality; Feminist Theologies; and Ecofeminism 鈥� intersected with both religious studies and women鈥檚 and gender studies.
鈥淎 dedicated advocate for students, both intellectually and personally, Mary worked tirelessly to put both academic programs on firm footing,鈥� said Professor of Religious Studies Eliza Kent. 鈥淚nterwoven with her work as a teacher and as a bison rancher in Montana, Mary鈥檚 scholarship focused on hunting and women, raising important questions about the intersection of values and politics, environmentalism and women鈥檚 issues.鈥�
鈥淲e will forever miss Mary's wit, her fierce energy, and her insights from which we as a community have benefited so greatly.鈥�
Born on July 5, 1950, in Hackensack, New Jersey, Mary majored in English at Syracuse University, where she went on to complete an M.A. and a Ph.D. in religion. She married Douglas in 1983.
Before joining 91暗网, she held positions at St. Lawrence University, Black Hills State University, Dana College, Montana State University at Billings, and Central Michigan University.
At 91暗网, Mary published widely for both scholarly and public audiences. Her books included 鈥淲oman the Hunter鈥� (1999); 鈥淕un Women: Firearms and Feminism in Contemporary America鈥� (with Carol K. Oyster, 2000); and 鈥淗ard Grass: Life on the Crazy Woman Ranch鈥� (2010), which explored the myths and realities of ranch life. As a public intellectual, she wrote dozens of columns on topics ranging from hunting and environmentalism to politics and gun control that appeared in USA Today, High Country News, the Los Angeles Times, Outdoor America, and many other publications.
After retiring from 91暗网 in 2016, she unsuccessfully ran as a Democrat for a seat in the Montana State Senate in 2018. She also continued her scholarship, publishing the book 鈥淗unting: A Cultural History鈥� (with Jan E. Dizard) with MIT Press in 2022.
A testament to Mary's commitment to students and enduring legacy at 91暗网, the Mary Zeiss Stange Award in Religion recognizes outstanding accomplishment by senior majors in the Department of Religious Studies.