Obituary of Marion B. Adair-Hinds

Marion B. Adair-Hinds peacefully made her final transition during the early morning hours of Wednesday, October 11th, 2023. Born in Washington, DC on September 6, 1930, to Mary R. and William L. Brinson, Marion was the eldest of Bill and Mary's two daughters with younger sister Mildred joining the family in December 1938. After graduating from Dunbar High School, Marion attended Howard University, becoming a proud member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority, and working as a journalist for the University's radio station, where she had the opportunity to interview such prominent African-American figures as world champion boxer, Joe Louis. Marion earned her B.A. from Howard in 1953 and went on to earn her M.S.W. at the University of Pennsylvania in 1955, supplementing her coursework with field work that included community public health support in rural Mexico through the American Friends Service Committee. That experience, in particular, moved her to become a life-long member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).

From the mid-1950's through the 1960's, Marion held a variety of social work and community organizing positions in Toledo, Ohio, while also becoming involved in the Civil Rights Movement. It was during this time that she met and married Morehouse College graduate and University of Toledo Law School student, Andrew Adair. During their marriage, they were blessed with two children: Andrew Alwin Jr. and Suzanne Corynn.

Following additional roles within the Ohio social work communities in both Toledo and Dayton, including Coordinator of the Social Work Technology Program at the University of Toledo, and Staff Associate/Coordinator at the Health Welfare Planning Council of the United Way in Dayton, Marion accepted her next professional role in 1972 as Professor of Sociology at Sinclair Community College in Dayton, where she remained until her retirement in 2001. It was also while teaching at Sinclair that she met, and in 1986, married Physics Professor Conrade C. Hinds, remaining with him until his passing in November 1998.

Marion's primary academic/professional specialties – Social Work, Futuristics and Cultural Anthropology – led her to develop a unique student travel abroad program for the College, and receive a Fulbright Grant to India, allowing her to meet with Mother Theresa in Kolkata (Calcutta) during the summer of 1984. International travel was among Marion's personal passions as well, with trips to Central America, Cape Verde, England, and France becoming a meaningful part of her life outside of the classroom.

Significant service and volunteer activities in Marion's life included membership in the American Friends Service Committee, Jack and Jill, Inc., Twentig, Inc., the William Bing Davis Endowment Fund (Chairperson), and the Self-Sufficiency Task Force of Dayton, Ohio. On a more personal level, Marion had an unwavering belief in the power of acquiring and sharing knowledge on a myriad of topics as a way to empower individuals and communities in order to address social inequities. She was also a true proponent of homeopathic and natural remedies, which she didn't hesitate to discuss with others, sometimes to the amusement of her children. From early on, Marion became a lover of antiques, East Asian and East African art, classical music, the big band era jazz musicians, movies and stage productions, science fiction and investigation, and great writers representing a wide variety of countries and cultures.

Marion B. Adair Hinds was preceded in death by her husband Conrade Hinds, parents Mary and William Brinson, sister Mildred Burton, and niece Deirdre Perry. She is survived by her children Andrew Adair and Dr. Suzanne Adair, nephew Kevin Mavity (Theresa), niece Kristin Harper (Nathaniel), and numerous grand and great-grand nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Howard University's School of Social Work, in the name of Marion B. Adair-Hinds.