Mary C. Crowley*

Mary Crowley was born in 1915 in Missouri. Her mother died when she was 18 months old, and Crowley was sent to live with her grandparents on a wheat farm in Missouri for five years. She then lived with her father and stepmother for a time, but problems with her stepmother returned her to her grandparents.

Years later, divorced and with two children to support during the Great Depression, Crowley got a job in Dallas and attended Southern Methodist University at night. She worked in sales at Stanley Home Products and for an importer of home accessories. Those experiences spurred her to develop her own business.

In 1957, Crowley founded Home Interiors and Gifts, which sells directly to customers through a home party plan. Her business became a successful enterprise. Crowley was also the first woman to serve on the Dallas Chamber of Commerce.