Mary Kay Ash

For the guitarist and entertainer, see Mary Kaye.

Mary Kay Ash
Born	May 13, 1918 Hot Wells, Harris County, Texas, USA
Died	November 22, 2001(2001-11-22) (aged 83) Dallas, Texas, USA
Occupation	Entrepreneur as Founder of Mary Kay
Children	Richard Rogers, Marilyn Rogers, and Ben Rogers
Website
marykay.com

Mary Kay Ash (May 12, 1918 – November 22, 2001) was an American businesswoman and founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics, Inc.

Early life

Mary Kay Ash, born Mary Kathlyn Wagner in Hot Wells, Harris County, Texas, was the daughter of Edward Alexander and Lula Vember Hastings Wagner.^[1] She attended Reagan High School in Houston, and graduated in 1934.^[2]

Ash married Ben Rogers at age 17. While her husband served in World War II, she sold books door-to-door. After her husband's return in 1948, they divorced. Ash went to work for Stanley Home Products.^[3] Frustrated when passed over for a promotion in favor of a man that she had trained, Ash retired in 1963 and intended to write a book to assist women in business. The book turned into a business plan for her ideal company, and in September 1963, Mary Kay Ash and her second husband^[1] began Mary Kay Cosmetics with a $5,000 investment. Before the company could open its original storefront operation in Dallas, her second husband died, and her son, Richard Rogers, took his place.^[1] The store opened in 1963, but grew rapidly, particularly after Ash was interviewed for CBS's 60 Minutes in 1979.

Ash was widely respected. She considered the Golden Rule the founding principle of Mary Kay Cosmetics and the company's marketing plan was designed to allow women to advance by helping others to succeed. She advocated "praising people to success" and her slogan "God first, family second, career third" expressed her insistence that the women in her company keep their lives in balance.

Awards

Both during her life and posthumously, Ash received numerous honors from business groups, including the Horatio Alger Award. Ash was inducted into the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame in 1996. A long-time fundraiser for charities, she founded the Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation to raise money to combat domestic violence and cancers affecting women. Ash served as Mary Kay Cosmetics' chairman until 1987, when she was named Chairman Emeritus. Fortune magazine recognized Mary Kay Inc. with inclusion in “The 100 best companies to work for in America.” The company was also named one of the best 10 companies for women to work. Her most recent acknowledgements were the “Equal Justice Award” from Legal Services of North Texas in 2001, and “Most Outstanding Woman in Business in the 20th Century” from Lifetime Television in 1999.^[3]

Mary Kay Inc.

Ash remained active in Mary Kay Inc. until suffering a stroke in 1996. Richard Rogers was named CEO of Mary Kay Inc. in 2001. At the time of Ash's death, Mary Kay Cosmetics had over 800,000 representatives in 37 countries, with total annual sales over $2 billion at retail. As of 2008, Mary Kay Cosmetics has more than 1.7 million consultants worldwide and wholesale volume in excess of 2.2 billion. Mary Kay herself was honored as leading female entrepreneur in American history.

Books

Mary Kay Ash authored three books, all of which became best-sellers. Her autobiography, Mary Kay, has sold more than a million copies and appears in several languages. Mary Kay Ash's third book, You Can Have It All, was launched in August 1995 and achieved "best-seller" status within days of its introduction.

Death

She died on November 22, 2001. Mary Kay Ash is interred in the Sparkman-Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery in Dallas, Texas.

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b c} Leavitt, Judith A. (1985) American Women Managers and Administrators Greenwood Publishing, Westport, Conn., p. 14, ISBN 0-313-23748-4
2. ^ "Distinguished HISD Alumni." Houston Independent School District.
3. ^ ^{a b} http://entrepreneurs.about.com/od/famousentrepreneurs/p/marykayash.htm

Further reading

• Stefoff, Rebecca (1992) Mary Kay Ash: Mary Kay, a Beautiful Business Garrett Educational Corp., Ada, Okla., ISBN 1-56074-012-4, for young adult audience
• Rozakis, Laurie (1993) Mary Kay: Cosmetics Queen Rourke Enterprises, Vero Beach, Fla., ISBN 0-86592-040-0, for young adult audience
• Ash, Mary Kay (1994) Mary Kay Harper Collins Publishers, New York,ISBN 0-06-092601-5; autobiography
• Ash, Mary Kay (2003) Miracles happen: the life and timeless principles of the founder of Mary Kay, Inc. Quill, New York, ISBN ISBN 0-06-057461-5

Persondata
Name	Ash, Mary Kay
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	May 12, 1918
Place of birth	Hot Wells, Harris County, Texas, USA
Date of death	November 22, 2001
Place of death	Dallas, Texas, USA