Mary Jo Sears Vandiver
Birthday: 1924
Our mother Mary Jo Sears Vandiver transfered to Tucson Arizona in 1943 to attend the University of Arizona. She was a Pi Beta Phi at Arizona and graduated in 1945 with a degree in Business Administration. For many years she was able to maintain relationships with those she met here. While she matriculated at the University Mary Jo met our father Thomas Edward Vandiver who was a World War II Army-Air Force flight instructor at Marana Air Force Base. After the war they married and enjoyed sixty-two (62) years together before Tom died in 2007. Mary Jo and Tom (Jody and Van to their friends and grandchildren) farmed and ranched in the Pecos Valley of New Mexico since 1953 reared three children (who later gave them eight grandchildren who then gave them thirteen great grandchildren) traveled and cultivated friends everywhere they went. Mary Jo valued education always and saw to it that her children had every educational opportunity. She has always been involved in her church P.E.O. and other organizations and clubs. Our beautiful mother so loved her years in Tucson that we can think of no other gift that would tickle her as much as a comemorative brick in her name at the Women's Plaza of Honor at the University of Arizona.