Mary Hagan Barrett, the founder of the National Secretaries Association as well as National Secretaries Day, died on Feb. 21, 1996. As far as she was concerned, her age was none of anyone's business, but friends acknowledged she was a bit past 80.
Born in New Castle, Mary attended Grove City College and later married Carlton Alexander Barrett, President of an industrial engineering company. They lived in Buenos Aires for a time where he served as a consultant to Juan Peron, President of Argentina, and she met Evita Peron.
Upon her husband's death, Mary worked for the Pittsburgh Hilton and Towers as an Executive Secretary in charge of public relations, a job she held from 1959 to 1983. Mary later founded the National Secretaries Association, now called the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP), and served as its president for two terms.
She was a member of the Women's Press Club, was editor of NSA Magazine and established a Certified Professional Secretaries Program, now a standard in most colleges and universities. She also served on the Pittsburgh Trust for Cultural Resources and was a volunteer for Pittsburgh Public Library.
Mary was instrumental in having the third week of April declared National Secretaries Week, through a lobbying effort in Washington, D.C.
Type of Fund
- Unrestricted