Mary Emelda Curley (1882-1930) exercised a strong, calming influence on her flamboyant husband Mayor James Michael Curley. Mary E. Herlihy married then Alderman Curley in 1906 as he started his rise in politics. Throughout his career she mostly stayed out of politics and the public sphere, rarely appearing in print. She was said to have advised him in private.
Together, they had nine children. They moved into their home nearby at 350 Jamaicaway in 1915 and she lived there until her death. [Featured on Jamaica Pond tour] Mary was known to be a very fine equestrian.
This school building (one of the few Art Deco structures in Jamaica Plain) was constructed in 1931 and named in her memory. There is also a chapel in her honor within Our Lady of Lourdes [featured on the Stony Brook tour].