Brooklyn Law School mourns longtime employee Mary Lee Bedford

October 10, 2013 From Brooklyn Law School

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Mary Lee Bedford, a beloved member of the Brooklyn Law School community for nearly three decades, died unexpectedly on Monday. She was 75.

As an executive assistant, Bedford assisted four deans and numerous associate deans, worked closely with all of the faculty and staff, and greeted countless students with her unfailingly calming presence.

“I do not have the words to describe what Mary Lee meant to me personally,” Dean Allard wrote in an email to the Brooklyn Law School community. “As a new dean, I could not have managed without her support and dedication. All who have ever interacted with Mary Lee will never forget her intellect, quick wit, and strength of character. We have all lost a close member of our law school family. She gave of herself completely to this institution, serving the law school with extraordinary capability and kindness.”

Before joining Brooklyn Law School in 1985, Bedford served as secretary to senior management at Touche Ross & Co., the World Trade Center-based firm that would later became Deloitte. Earlier in her career, she was an elementary school teacher at various parochial schools in Brooklyn and New York, as well as the Barnard School for Girls. A graduate of St. Francis College, she looked forward to retiring from Brooklyn Law School in just a few weeks.

Described as a “pillar of the community,” Bedford was knownfor her intellect, quick wit, and strength of character. She leaves her daughter Amy, a 2002 graduate of Brooklyn Law School, her son Peter, her beloved grandchildren and many friends.

The funeral was scheduled for Thursday at St. Patrick’s Church, 9511 Fourth Ave, in Brooklyn.