Mary Jean Travers:  2/28/1932 – 9/5/2017

MJ was born in Baltimore, Frank Schenuit was her father and Hilda Koester her mother. Hilda was the daughter of the founders of Koester’s bakery – recognized as the largest bakery east of the Mississippi at one time and Frank started Schenuit Tire company which became the 7th largest Tire company in the United States. Below is  Frank, Betty (mom’s older sister) and mom .  The older lady I am not certain who it is. 

Known as “MJ,”

she was the daughter of Frank G. Schenuit, who founded Schenuit Tire Company which became the 7th largest tire manufacturer in the United States, and Hilda Koester, whose family founded a commercial bakery called Koester bakery which was one of the largest privately owned bakeries in the East Coast.  Both are featured with a kiosk at the Museum of Industry in Baltimore. (See Tabs Left). MJ is on the right the youngest 

Frank Hilda, Betty, Nancy and MJ above

MJ was Raised in Guilford and during the summer MJ wold go to camp “Ken-Jocketee” in South Strafford Vermont back in the 1940’s where she learned to compete in: diving, 

swimming , horseback riding and other sports

She was a 1950 graduate of Notre Dame Preparatory School and here she is early on

and below 50 years later

and she played on four varsity teams — field hockey, basketball, tennis and swimming .  

“We would sit in the balcony at LeClerc Hall and watch her do her high dives. She was courageous,” said Susanne Nichols, a friend who recalled Mrs. Travers’ exploits in the Notre Dame pool. “She was a natural. She had no fears.”  

She later became the coach there

MJ 2nd from left above and below after the tennis courts were named after her

She competed in numerous swimming events and won ribbons in the diving category. She also competed at the Meadowbrook swimming club and at the Gibson Island Club and won many events there and her name appears on its record board at Gibson Island as winner. “Mary Jean Travers earned the admiration and respect of her teammates and all who met her,” said Sister Patricia McCarron, Notre Dame headmistress. “It was not only because of her athletic success and success in life but because of how she played the game. … She was a great teammate.” MJ went on to college and attended what is now Barry University in Florida.

She spoke two languages and went on to become a professional model with the Loren Walters Academy

Mary Jean professional Model 

She was featured  in ads that appeared in Time and Newsweek magazines as well as a couple times on local Television stations.

In 2016 she was honored at Notre Dame Prep when the school’s tennis courts were named for her. She had been an assistant tennis coach at the school and was inducted into its Athletic Hall of Fame in 2010 for four sports: Diving, field hockey, lacrosse and swimming. Mrs. Travers went on to compete in tennis at the Baltimore Country Club and the Island Country Club in Marco Island, Fla.

She met her future husband, Oliver Slater Travers Jr., while vacationing at Ocean City. The couple married in 1952

with a reception at the Baltimore Country Club.  

Ollie and MJ had four kids and we kids were blessed by them both 

jean, Me on left and Tom and Joan on right

She and Dad hosted elegant parties from their home below 

Awesome parties 

and we kids had great birthday parties as well

She was amazing for a lady from her era as she got her plane license learning how to fly – flying with here dad below and noted in a new paper article and her the photo in the middle is of them.  

She quit after she almost totaled the plane landing on Assitigue island her below in the plane with her dad where she got her start 

 

She was also a world traveler and began her travels in 1952 with a lengthy trip to South America including a trip to Cuba during the revolution  about 1959-60- mom always went to out there places

Cuba Above

“my mother was an adventurous lady. We as a family went skiing in Switzerland back in 1968 and visited England as well. Photo from Switzerland party up for New Years as well as skiing in Switzerland 1968

Switzerland above and NASTAR racing below she loved it 

She was an accomplished skier and loved to race in NASTAR.  

Mom above and she was always challenging you by said she would beat you to the bottom!!

She trekked in Nepal climbing 1,000 feet above the base camp of Mount Everest to 18,500 feet on Kala Patthar,” below

18,500 feet above and Everest is behind her 

She also traveled overland from India into Pakistan

and fired fully automatic weapons with the taliban back in 1990. 

She lived on a house boat in Cashmire after crossing the highest pass in the world outside Ladhak 

Kashmir above on the India side on Dahl lake  

She later spoke of her travels at local clubs.

She also embraced many activities and canoed the boundary waters of Minnesota and Canada below and many other great rivers – 

Colorado below, yes she was bad a–

She was a certified scuba diver and made dives in the Caymans and the Great Barrier Reef to name a few Great Barrier below snorkeling after diving 

Snorkeling after diving on the Great Barrier Reef above 

She was also an accomplished skier and made to trips to Jackson Hole, Wyo., Taos, N.M., and Switzerland.

And she loved horseback riding and we grew up with horses and our horse was named “Sunbonnet” 

 “She was also an accomplished bike rider. Shorty after China opened to the West in the 1980’s, she bicycled more than +200 miles in that country. She also cycled through parts of New Zealand and Australia with Arden and I on our around-the-world trip. The NCR trail below not a big deal but one of the few photos I have 

MJ was a founder of Baltimore’s Clean Harbor Committee, and Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke honored her for her work on the environment.

Mayor Kurt Smoke presenting MJ  an award for founding Clean Harbors

“My mother stressed to her children the need to seek to be the best in everything you engage in.” MJ had this mantra: C.H.I.P.S. = Commitment,  Honesty and Integrity, Performance and Service back to ones family and Community . “She also said honesty and integrity are the highest qualities to exude. She said to give back to society is a duty, not an option.” She and her husband Oliver established a family charitable trust, the Mary Jean and Oliver Travers Foundation, which distributes significant funds to help those that can not help themselves.

MJ and Dad above in Aspen and  few shots of her travels below

BELOW ARE ADDITIONAL SHOTS 

Wedding in the Cathedral 

BELOW India Kashmir below after coming over the highest pass in world 

Kashmir above and Afghanistan-Pakistan Tribal area below 

Her team in Afghanistan below granting Pustunwali – yes she was crazy but why not engage life to the max

Pakistan above 

 Diving in Cayman Island below

Pakistan border area with India above

Why not go hiking after canoeing all day between Canada and the United States above

Some family shots 

MJ awards below

 

 

 

 

In addition to her son, she is survived by her husband of 65 years, the president of Schenuit Investments; two daughters, Jean Travers Goodwin and Joan Travers Ottenritter, both of Towson; eight grandchildren; and four great-granddchildren. A son, Thomas S.Travers, died in 2005. A few photos below of family and her amazing trips 

Below Bermuda below , biking, tennis and swimming

 

Thank you MJ and Ollie

 

 

 

Other Photos below 

 

 

 

 

Boundary waters canoeing below 

 

Mary Jean Elizabeth Rudolphi Schenuit Travers was the daughter of Frank Schenuit and Hilda Koester – (See tab to left about them).  She had two sisters: Betty Spilman, and Nancy Lee Schenuit and we were always close celebrating all the holidays together at Nancy else’s home – one of the largest homes in Baltimore City located in homeland