How old was Mary Travers when she passed away?”
Mary Travers (Peter, Paul & Mary) was a vocal advocate in the 1960s and 70s for peace and civil rights, but these days she’s tooting a different horn. Travers, who has been suffering from Leukemia, returned to performing last autumn, thanks to a 46-year-old bone marrow donor in the Midwest. Now, she’s speaking out to encourage others to give, so that others like her can be saved. This weekend, May 12-14 (Mother’s Day weekend), more than 100 sites around the country will be set up for the National Marrow Donor Program’s fourth annual donor drive. The registry, which includes over 6 million donors, hopes to add 20,000 more to its list this weekend. Marrow transplants aren’t just necessary for Leukemia – they are used to treat 70 diseases. About her marrow transplant, Travers says, “What’s incredible is someone has given your life back. I’m out in the garden today. This time last year I was looking out a window at a hospital.” Those interested in donating this weekend must be between the
DANBURY, Conn. — Mary Travers, one-third of the hugely popular 1960s folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary, has died. The band’s publicist, Heather Lylis, says Travers died at Danbury Hospital in Connecticut on Wednesday. She was 72 and had battled leukemia for several years. Travers joined forces with Peter Yarrow and Noel Paul Stookey in the early 1960s. The trio mingled their music with liberal politics, both onstage and off. Their version of “If I Had a Hammer” became an anthem for racial equality. Other hits included “Lemon Tree,” “Leaving on a Jet Plane” and “Puff (The Magic Dragon.)” They were early champions of Bob Dylan and performed his “Blowin’ in the Wind” at the August 1963 March on Washington. And they were vehement in their opposition to the Vietnam War, managing to stay true to their liberal beliefs while creating music that resonated in the American mainstream. The group collected five Grammy Awards for their three-part harmony on enduring songs like “Leaving on a Jet Plane,”
