Stephen Cary student materials

Stephen Cary was born on September 21, 1915, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended Haverford College and graduated as a member of the Class of 1937, majoring in Economics and minoring in Chemistry. He then obtained a masters degree in International Administration from Columbia University in 1943. He was drafted into the World War II in 1942, however he became a conscientious objector and served in the Civilian Public Service instead. Between 1946 and 1948 he served as a chief of American Quaker Relief Operations in Europe, for which Quakers earned the 1947 Nobel Peace Prize.

In 1965, Cary undertook a 12,000 mile journey through Russia in order to improve the understanding between the US and the USSR, one of five Quakers to do so. In the same year, he also undertook a fact-finding mission to South Vietnam, writing a report that Quaker organizations used as a baseline for all their service missions in Vietnam during the next decade. In 1969, he participated in a seminar designed to connect young professionals and leaders across newly independent countries in Africa.

Cary served on Haverford's Board of Governors between 1955 and 1969, then worked as a Vice President of Development and Finance, and then served as an Acting President of the College from 1977 till 1978. He was also a Chairman of the American Friends Service Committee between 1979 and 1991. Stephen Cary died on July 30, 2002 in Chatham, Massachusetts at 86 years old.