Mary Bethel ’71, ’82 MSED had been a social services caseworker in Virginia for five years when she and her husband moved back to North Carolina in 1977. “I walked into the state Division of Aging in Raleigh,” she says, “and said, ‘I like working with older people.’” They hired her on the spot.

Since then, Bethel has made a career of working with and on behalf of the elderly population. After 30 years with the state, she went on to become associate director of advocacy for AARP North Carolina. After she retired in 2015, she helped turn the N.C. Coalition on Aging, which had been little more than a monthly meeting of advocates, into a nonprofit with paid staff members and a legislative agenda.

Today, she’s passionate about issues such as funding Medicaid, helping people age in place and supporting family caregivers. In North Carolina, the number of people over 85 is expected to more than double by 2050, and social services providers in rural areas will be particularly hard hit. “We need robust service delivery systems in every county,” she says. 

Bethel credits her interest in older adults to a rural upbringing at a time when generations were not as siloed as they are today. “I was around older people,” she says. “My mom was always taking food to people, making friendly visits, and I would go with her. I enjoyed talking to older people and hearing their stories.”

Retirement 11 years ago didn’t stop her advocacy. She is chair of the board of the N.C. Coalition on Aging, sits on the board of the N.C. Senior Games and serves on the Governor’s Council on Aging. In 2025, she won the AARP North Carolina Andrus Award for Community Service, recognized for being a force for older adults.

“Embrace life, take precautions, prepare for it. Find ways to give back.  But don’t go sit in a rocking chair.”

At 77, Bethel is now a member of the community she has always advocated for. “Reality sets in,” she says, “when you realize you are who you have been talking about all these years.” Her advice? “Embrace life, take precautions, prepare for it. Find ways to give back,” she says. “But don’t go sit in a rocking chair.”

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