Mary K. Shell
Encyclopedia
Mary Katherine Jaynes Shell, previously Mary Hosking, usually known as Mary K. Shell (born February 9, 1927), is the first woman to have served as mayor
of Bakersfield
, California
(1981–1985) and only the second woman to have served on the Kern County
Board of Supervisors (1985–1997). At the time of her retirement from public office, Shell was termed by the Bakersfield Californian as "the most popular politician
in Kern County history
." She is the widow
of Joseph C. Shell, Sr.
(1918–2008), a former Republican
minority leader of the California State Assembly
from Los Angeles
, Richard M. Nixon's intraparty opponent for governor
in 1962, and a lawmaker who fought to bring water to southern California in the 1960s.
for the Southern Pacific Railroad. He opened a welding shop which evolved into H. E. Jaynes and Son, an automobile
repair business on Chester Street. Mary K., also called "Miki" by her family and friends, worked in the shop, doing chores traditionally associated with males. She recalls servicing a Buick
when news of the D-Day
landings in Normandy
of June 6, 1944 were announced by radio
. She demonstrated a youthful interest in current events, journalism
, and politics. She was the editor of the student newspapers at Washington Junior High School and East Bakersfield High School. She was also a song leader and secretary to the student council. Shell said that so many extracurricular activities kept her from being an "A" student.
Shell attended Bakersfield College
, a public community college
, but dropped out a semester shy of receiving her associate's degree
. She is a donor to the college and a member of its foundation board. Instead she worked part-tme at the Bakersfield Californian newspaper
, where at the age of seventeen she had been the "cub" reporter on the farm beat. She soon learned that city officials were making most decisions over lunch at the Hotel
El Tejon (now the site of the Bank of America
building in Bakersfield) and then routinely approving what had been decided at council meetings. This was long before the era of "open meetings" laws, known in California as the Ralph M. Brown Act. Shell had taken flying lessons while she worked as a flight dispatcher at La Cresta Airfield near the Panorama Bluffs of Bakersfield.
d in 1948. She then married Richard "Dick" Hosking, by whom she had three children: Geoffrey Richard Hosking (born 1951), Timothy William Hosking (1952–1979), and Meredith Katherine Hosking (1959–1981). The couple lived briefly in the San Jose
area, where Hosking attended law school, and she worked at the San Jose Airport. They soon returned to Bakersfield, and she became a secretary to a cotton
cooperative. Dick served on the Bakersfield City Council from 1965-1969. Mary and Dick separated in 1967 and divorced two years later. The next year, she wed Joe Shell, a distinguished flight instructor during World War II
who, like her, held a pilot
's license. In 1960, Mary K. first met Joe Shell, who was then married to the former Barbara Morton. He came to Bakersfield where he had interests in his oil
business, to review her activities as an unusually successful Republican activist in Bakersfield. Mary was later a reporter-photographer and then, the editor, of the News Bulletin, a semi-weekly newspaper serving metropolitan
Bakersfield.
for The Californian and the syndicated
Capitol News Service. She covered the legislature and other state agencies: "That was before we even had fax machines," she recalls. She wrote her weekly column on a typewriter
and shipped it to Bakersfield on a Greyhound
bus
. Shell's old job was discontinued by the newspaper in 2007 because of financial reasons. Shell won honors: the 1972 Excellence in Reporting Award from the California Trial Lawyers Association and the 1975 California Taxpayers Reporting Award for her revelations about excessive early retirement benefits for legislators, a phenomenon unknown to many California voters. Joe was a lobbyist for oil companies while the couple lived in Sacramento. During that period, they generally made two trips monthly to Bakersfield, where they would move permanently in 1980.
In 1978, the Shells opened an oil business together and drilled four heavy-oil wells in at the Deer Creek field in Tulare County
located adjacent to Kern County. Because the name "Shell" could not be used, they called the endeavor Concho Petroleum. They maintained the low-output wells until 1993.
and despair, died of a drug overdose.
Thereafter, Shell decided to run for mayor after three-term incumbent Donald M. Hart announced that he would not seek reelection. The odds were so against Shell that it was said only Joe Shell actually believed that his wife could prevail against four male candidates. She went on to win the nonpartisan
runoff election against Sheriff
Charles Dodge, who had led in the first round of balloting by only twenty-five votes. Although many campaigns stop their intense efforts on election eve, Shell persisted through election day; her grass roots
volunteers walked door to door until the polls closed on election night.
Early in the term, a second tragedy occurred when daughter Meredith died at the age of twenty-two of cardiac arrest
caused by medications. And Dick Hosking died thereafter.
Tonight Show host Johnny Carson
for his reference to "beautiful downtown Bakersfield" (Carson also referred to Burbank
, though his remarks were not considered malicious). “I tried to get Johnny Carson to come here and see for himself [the improvements in Bakersfield]. He never made it", Shell remembers.
A partial list of her accomplishments include:
(1) Founding the Beautiful Bakersfield Committee with an annual awards dinner and the restoration of the community Christmas
parade
(2) Establishing a committee of veteran’s organizations to build a memorial to Medal of Honor
recipient Larry Pierce of Bakersfield and to all from Kern County who served in the Vietnam War
. The memorial is located at the county courts building.
(3) Creating the Bakersfield Historical Preservation Commission
(4) Establishing the annual Bakersfield Prayer
Breakfast
(5) Serving on the California Local Government Task Force under appointment from Republican Governor George Deukmejian
air pollution
control district. After her tenure as a county supervisor, Shell did consulting work for individuals having difficulty with government bureaucracy
and regulations.
In her first election as supervisor from a predominantly minority district in southeastern Bakersfield, Shell defeated Richard Ybarra, a son-in-law of Hispanic
labor organizer Cesar Chavez
, 52.4-47.5 percent. She was unopposed in 1988. In 1992, after redistricting
, her district became even more prominently Hispanic and Democratic
in orientation with the inclusion of the Arvin and Lamont neighborhoods. Shell still polled 61.2 percent of the vote against Ray Gonzales and another candidate. She did not seek a fourth term in 1996, and the position went to Peter "Pete" Parra.
Shell is known for her trademark straw hat, boots and overalls. While in office, she personally hosted many social gatherings and joined constituents in cleaning up litter-strewn lots. Out of office, she did consulting work for individuals and companies having problems with the bureaucracy
of government
.
one day. A young woman followed her out to say, "Thank you so much – my brother was headed for trouble. Having the soccer field in our neighborhood made a difference. He joined AYSO and changed his life."
Carl Sparks recalled that "when I ran for sheriff people told me, ‘The first thing you gotta do is go see Mary and Joe.' That he was willing to see you at all and talk to you as a person was a privilege."
Shell is honored through the naming of the Mary K. Shell Journalism Scholarship
and the Mary K. Shell Mental Health Facility in Bakersfield. She is a member of the St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Bakersfield.
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Bakersfield
Bakersfield, California
Bakersfield is a city near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County, California. It is roughly equidistant between Fresno and Los Angeles, to the north and south respectively....
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
(1981–1985) and only the second woman to have served on the Kern County
Kern County, California
Spreading across the southern end of the California Central Valley, Kern County is the fifth-largest county by population in California. Its economy is heavily linked to agriculture and to petroleum extraction, and there is a strong aviation and space presence. Politically, it has generally...
Board of Supervisors (1985–1997). At the time of her retirement from public office, Shell was termed by the Bakersfield Californian as "the most popular politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
in Kern County history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
." She is the widow
Widow
A widow is a woman whose spouse has died, while a widower is a man whose spouse has died. The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed widowhood or occasionally viduity. The adjective form is widowed...
of Joseph C. Shell, Sr.
Joe Shell
Joseph Claude Shell, Sr. was an American oil producer and lobbyist who represented District 58 in the California State Assembly from 1953-1963. During 1961-62 he was the Assembly Republican Minority Leader...
(1918–2008), a former Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
minority leader of the California State Assembly
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
from Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, Richard M. Nixon's intraparty opponent for governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
in 1962, and a lawmaker who fought to bring water to southern California in the 1960s.
Early years, family, journalism
Shell was the younger of two daughters born in Bakersfield to Walter Jaynes (1897–1972) and the former Mary Ellen Young (1897–1990). Shell's paternal grandfather, Harris E. Jaynes, arrived in Bakersfield about 1900 to work as a welderWelder
A welder is a tradesman who specializes in welding materials together. The materials to be joined can be metals or varieties of plastic or polymer...
for the Southern Pacific Railroad. He opened a welding shop which evolved into H. E. Jaynes and Son, an automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
repair business on Chester Street. Mary K., also called "Miki" by her family and friends, worked in the shop, doing chores traditionally associated with males. She recalls servicing a Buick
Buick
Buick is a premium brand of General Motors . Buick models are sold in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, Taiwan, and Israel, with China being its largest market. Buick holds the distinction as the oldest active American make...
when news of the D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
landings in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
of June 6, 1944 were announced by radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
. She demonstrated a youthful interest in current events, journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
, and politics. She was the editor of the student newspapers at Washington Junior High School and East Bakersfield High School. She was also a song leader and secretary to the student council. Shell said that so many extracurricular activities kept her from being an "A" student.
Shell attended Bakersfield College
Bakersfield College
Bakersfield College is a public community college located in Bakersfield, California, USA. Bakersfield College has an official Twitter account at @bcrenegades and an official...
, a public community college
Community college
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries.-Australia:Community colleges carry on the tradition of adult education, which was established in Australia around mid 19th century when evening classes were held to help adults...
, but dropped out a semester shy of receiving her associate's degree
Associate's degree
An associate degree is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by community colleges, junior colleges, technical colleges, and bachelor's degree-granting colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study usually lasting two years...
. She is a donor to the college and a member of its foundation board. Instead she worked part-tme at the Bakersfield Californian newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
, where at the age of seventeen she had been the "cub" reporter on the farm beat. She soon learned that city officials were making most decisions over lunch at the Hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
El Tejon (now the site of the Bank of America
Bank of America
Bank of America Corporation, an American multinational banking and financial services corporation, is the second largest bank holding company in the United States by assets, and the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by market capitalization. The bank is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina...
building in Bakersfield) and then routinely approving what had been decided at council meetings. This was long before the era of "open meetings" laws, known in California as the Ralph M. Brown Act. Shell had taken flying lessons while she worked as a flight dispatcher at La Cresta Airfield near the Panorama Bluffs of Bakersfield.
Three marriages
In 1945, at the age of eighteen, she married Don Sticker, but the couple divorceDivorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
d in 1948. She then married Richard "Dick" Hosking, by whom she had three children: Geoffrey Richard Hosking (born 1951), Timothy William Hosking (1952–1979), and Meredith Katherine Hosking (1959–1981). The couple lived briefly in the San Jose
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
area, where Hosking attended law school, and she worked at the San Jose Airport. They soon returned to Bakersfield, and she became a secretary to a cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
cooperative. Dick served on the Bakersfield City Council from 1965-1969. Mary and Dick separated in 1967 and divorced two years later. The next year, she wed Joe Shell, a distinguished flight instructor during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
who, like her, held a pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
's license. In 1960, Mary K. first met Joe Shell, who was then married to the former Barbara Morton. He came to Bakersfield where he had interests in his oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
business, to review her activities as an unusually successful Republican activist in Bakersfield. Mary was later a reporter-photographer and then, the editor, of the News Bulletin, a semi-weekly newspaper serving metropolitan
Metropolitan area
The term metropolitan area refers to a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories, sharing industry, infrastructure, and housing. A metropolitan area usually encompasses multiple jurisdictions and municipalities: neighborhoods, townships,...
Bakersfield.
Capital correspondent
From 1970 to 1980, Mary K. Shell was a correspondent based in the state capital of SacramentoSacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
for The Californian and the syndicated
Print syndication
Print syndication distributes news articles, columns, comic strips and other features to newspapers, magazines and websites. They offer reprint rights and grant permissions to other parties for republishing content of which they own/represent copyrights....
Capitol News Service. She covered the legislature and other state agencies: "That was before we even had fax machines," she recalls. She wrote her weekly column on a typewriter
Typewriter
A typewriter is a mechanical or electromechanical device with keys that, when pressed, cause characters to be printed on a medium, usually paper. Typically one character is printed per keypress, and the machine prints the characters by making ink impressions of type elements similar to the pieces...
and shipped it to Bakersfield on a Greyhound
Greyhound
The Greyhound is a breed of sighthound that has been primarily bred for coursing game and racing, and the breed has also recently seen a resurgence in its popularity as a pedigree show dog and family pet. It is a gentle and intelligent breed...
bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
. Shell's old job was discontinued by the newspaper in 2007 because of financial reasons. Shell won honors: the 1972 Excellence in Reporting Award from the California Trial Lawyers Association and the 1975 California Taxpayers Reporting Award for her revelations about excessive early retirement benefits for legislators, a phenomenon unknown to many California voters. Joe was a lobbyist for oil companies while the couple lived in Sacramento. During that period, they generally made two trips monthly to Bakersfield, where they would move permanently in 1980.
In 1978, the Shells opened an oil business together and drilled four heavy-oil wells in at the Deer Creek field in Tulare County
Tulare County, California
Tulare County is a county located in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California, south of Fresno. Sequoia National Park is located in the county, as are part of Kings Canyon National Park, in its northeast corner , and part of Mount Whitney, on its eastern border...
located adjacent to Kern County. Because the name "Shell" could not be used, they called the endeavor Concho Petroleum. They maintained the low-output wells until 1993.
Family tragedies
Tragedy struck in 1979, when her younger son Tim, at twenty-six, who had fallen into a life of alcoholAlcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
and despair, died of a drug overdose.
Thereafter, Shell decided to run for mayor after three-term incumbent Donald M. Hart announced that he would not seek reelection. The odds were so against Shell that it was said only Joe Shell actually believed that his wife could prevail against four male candidates. She went on to win the nonpartisan
Nonpartisan
In political science, nonpartisan denotes an election, event, organization or person in which there is no formally declared association with a political party affiliation....
runoff election against Sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
Charles Dodge, who had led in the first round of balloting by only twenty-five votes. Although many campaigns stop their intense efforts on election eve, Shell persisted through election day; her grass roots
Grass Roots
Grass Roots is an Australian television series produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation between 2000 and 2003.The series is set around the fictional Arcadia Waters Council near Sydney, and was primarily a satirical look at the machinations of local government...
volunteers walked door to door until the polls closed on election night.
Early in the term, a second tragedy occurred when daughter Meredith died at the age of twenty-two of cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest, is the cessation of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract effectively...
caused by medications. And Dick Hosking died thereafter.
Public accomplishments
As mayor, Shell promoted civic self-esteem. She reached out to the minority community. She chided NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
Tonight Show host Johnny Carson
Johnny Carson
John William "Johnny" Carson was an American television host and comedian, known as host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 years . Carson received six Emmy Awards including the Governor Award and a 1985 Peabody Award; he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1987...
for his reference to "beautiful downtown Bakersfield" (Carson also referred to Burbank
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
, though his remarks were not considered malicious). “I tried to get Johnny Carson to come here and see for himself [the improvements in Bakersfield]. He never made it", Shell remembers.
A partial list of her accomplishments include:
(1) Founding the Beautiful Bakersfield Committee with an annual awards dinner and the restoration of the community Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
parade
Parade
A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually celebrations of some kind...
(2) Establishing a committee of veteran’s organizations to build a memorial to Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
recipient Larry Pierce of Bakersfield and to all from Kern County who served in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. The memorial is located at the county courts building.
(3) Creating the Bakersfield Historical Preservation Commission
(4) Establishing the annual Bakersfield Prayer
Prayer
Prayer is a form of religious practice that seeks to activate a volitional rapport to a deity through deliberate practice. Prayer may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of...
Breakfast
(5) Serving on the California Local Government Task Force under appointment from Republican Governor George Deukmejian
George Deukmejian
Courken George Deukmejian, Jr. born June 6, 1928) is an Armenian American politician from California who as a Republican served as the 35th Governor of California and as California Attorney General .-Early life:...
Supervisor Shell
In 1985, Shell vacated the office of mayor, having been elected to the first of three four-year terms on the also nonpartisan Kern County Board of Supervisors. As a supervisor, she also served two years as chairman of the agriculture committee of the California State Association of Counties and as a subcommittee chairman of the National Association of Counties Agriculture Committee. She represented Kern County on the San Joaquin ValleySan Joaquin Valley
The San Joaquin Valley is the area of the Central Valley of California that lies south of the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta in Stockton...
air pollution
Air pollution
Air pollution is the introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or cause damage to the natural environment or built environment, into the atmosphere....
control district. After her tenure as a county supervisor, Shell did consulting work for individuals having difficulty with government bureaucracy
Bureaucracy
A bureaucracy is an organization of non-elected officials of a governmental or organization who implement the rules, laws, and functions of their institution, and are occasionally characterized by officialism and red tape.-Weberian bureaucracy:...
and regulations.
In her first election as supervisor from a predominantly minority district in southeastern Bakersfield, Shell defeated Richard Ybarra, a son-in-law of Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
labor organizer Cesar Chavez
César Chávez
César Estrada Chávez was an American farm worker, labor leader, and civil rights activist who, with Dolores Huerta, co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers ....
, 52.4-47.5 percent. She was unopposed in 1988. In 1992, after redistricting
Redistricting
Redistricting is the process of drawing United States electoral district boundaries, often in response to population changes determined by the results of the decennial census. In 36 states, the state legislature has primary responsibility for creating a redistricting plan, in many cases subject to...
, her district became even more prominently Hispanic and Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
in orientation with the inclusion of the Arvin and Lamont neighborhoods. Shell still polled 61.2 percent of the vote against Ray Gonzales and another candidate. She did not seek a fourth term in 1996, and the position went to Peter "Pete" Parra.
Shell is known for her trademark straw hat, boots and overalls. While in office, she personally hosted many social gatherings and joined constituents in cleaning up litter-strewn lots. Out of office, she did consulting work for individuals and companies having problems with the bureaucracy
Bureaucracy
A bureaucracy is an organization of non-elected officials of a governmental or organization who implement the rules, laws, and functions of their institution, and are occasionally characterized by officialism and red tape.-Weberian bureaucracy:...
of government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
.
Most memorable achievement
When asked her most memorable accomplishment in office, Shell replied that it was the diversion of grant funds to establish a lighted soccer field in an underserved area of the city and the coordination undertaken for an American Youth Soccer Organization program. Shell recalls having stopped at McDonald’s restaurantRestaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
one day. A young woman followed her out to say, "Thank you so much – my brother was headed for trouble. Having the soccer field in our neighborhood made a difference. He joined AYSO and changed his life."
Political power couple
In their later years, Joe and Mary K. Shell became a political "power couple" in Bakersfield and were often sought out for advice and friendship by aspiring Republican candidates for office. At the funeral of Joe Shell on April 11, 2008, former Kern County SheriffSheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
Carl Sparks recalled that "when I ran for sheriff people told me, ‘The first thing you gotta do is go see Mary and Joe.' That he was willing to see you at all and talk to you as a person was a privilege."
Shell is honored through the naming of the Mary K. Shell Journalism Scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
and the Mary K. Shell Mental Health Facility in Bakersfield. She is a member of the St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Bakersfield.