News at St. Catherine's
Mary Jane Hipp Brock '66
Mary Jane Hipp Brock '66 has spent her life living out the School motto through her philanthropic work with the Big Apple Circus, her devotion to the Episcopal Church and her dedication to our national historic landmarks.
Let not Mary Jane Hipp Brock’s diminutive stature fool you; she’s a steel magnolia blooming in The City That Doesn’t Sleep, pouring herself into causes secular to historic, educational to compassionate. Like an alchemist, she converts St. Catherine’s motto into the gold standard of action: Only what we give remains our own.
Brock, grieving the loss of her mother when she arrived as a sophomore boarder from Greenville, S.C., lost her sister within weeks of enrolling. Head of School Susanna Turner “was the one who delivered the news of my sister's death and personally drove me to the airport to fly home for the funeral.” Thanks to this “extraordinary, caring, gentle, smart woman,” Brock blossomed, serving as Secretary of her class the first year and Junior Class President. As a Senior, her deep faith and delight in service was evident: Student Government and Honor Council President; hospital volunteer; altar guild and chapel committee, glee club and choir. By the time classmates and teachers chose her as June Queen in 1966, the motto was Brock’s persona.
Following Sweet Briar College, Brock worked in New York City. There she met the two enduring loves of her life: husband Charlie, whom she married in 1977; and The Big Apple Circus, on whose board she has served for more than 30 years. “The BAC is a classical one-ring circus that performs for three months at holiday time at Lincoln Center and then tours the east coast, [with] a variety of exceptional community programs which reach into the community in which we perform.”
The BAC is not alone in benefitting from Brock’s dedication. Love of church music and an abiding devotion to the Episcopal Church sprang from St. Catherine's Chapel services, resulting in long and joyful service to the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York City, the fifth largest church in the world. Founding director of the Interfaith Center of New York (which encourages religious, social and ethnic diversity), she is on the leadership council of the Tannenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding. She represents the state of New York as director of the Robert E. Lee Memorial Association (owner of Stratford Hall, the Virginia home of the Lee family), and is leading the search committee for the National Historic Landmark’s next executive director. Brock modestly attributes “that wonderful environment of learning and sharing” at St. Catherine’s for keeping her going and giving back. 
Located in the heart of Richmond, Virginia, St. Catherine’s School is a private, all-girls pre-K, kindergarten, elementary, middle and high school. We provide a well-rounded educational experience for girls from communities across Richmond, Chesterfield, Henrico and all of central Virginia. St.Catherine’s all-girls educational experience is rooted in more than a century of history and tradition. From our revolutionary past to our dynamic present, St. Catherine’s has always focused on preparing students for a boundless future.
