Mary Kay (Meacham) Hemenway grew up in Warren, Ohio and gradually moved south to warmer climates - attending graduate school at University of Virginia and working since 1974 at the University of Texas at Austin. She is an internationally recognized astronomy educator. She served as Educator Office for the American Astronomical Society and secretary to the Board of Directors of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 2009 was a very busy year as she was a member of International Astronomical Union Executive Committee for the International Year of Astronomy (IYA). IYA involved 148 counties around the world. She is a member of the Texas Hall of Fame for Science, Mathematics and Technology and was awarded the 2009 Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society.