JanMarie posted:
JanMarieNSD-Emeretis Says: December 27, 2007 at 1:37 pm e
Hi ladies
Just wanted to post this, as this is off topic:
I have been an avid poster and blog communicator with the Mary Kay world for many years under different names for different boards. I have also viewed PT from time to time which regardless of what else you can say she does seem to have a good source of information. So I am in the middle of the road.
Anyway I have always loved MK the woman, and some years back posted that she had been married more than three times. Some MKers don’t want to believe this, and some say ok so what? But I never knew exactly how many times because I don’t have access to her info in Texas.
Well, now I know. And I feel it is my duty to set the record straight.
If any of you got the dvd, there is a newspaper clip that shows her name as Mary Kay Weaver. I had known that Mary Kay married Mary C Crowley’s (the lady who started Home Interiors) brother. Since I never knew Mary Crowley’s last name, I never knew if this was “weaver” or some other name. I have just got the book Mary Crowley wrote called “you can to” (which is good) and only yesterday found out that Mary Crowley’s maiden name was indeed Weaver.
I am clearing this up because I was never sure if Mary Kay had been married four or five times–and now it turns out to be four.
Mary Kay Rogers (first marriage)
Mary Kay Weaver (Mary Crowley’s brother)
Mary Kay Hallenbeck (her husband as she was starting MK)
Mary Kay Ash (her last husband)
I know that some of you have read my posts both here and on other sites about this, and I wanted to clear it up. I really do wish that MK had been truthful about her marriages.
Anyway, I am putting this out there. It’s not my blog, so pynkmist, if you want to delete it, that’s your prorogerative. I just didn’t want anyone saying MK had been married five or six times.
pynkmyst 
December 27, 2007 at 4:45 pm
JanMarie – Was Mary Kay untruthful? I really don’t know. I have read her autobiography many times but don’t recall her claiming to only have two husbands. Most people are startled to know that I have been married before… but why should they be? If it is not relevant… why should I mention it? I am not trying to hide anything, just leaving it where it belongs.. in the past.
December 27, 2007 at 5:44 pm
On page 25 of her biography she states “a few years before developing the idea for Mary Kay Cosmetics, I remarried.” That would be George Hallenbeck, who died of a heart attack.
And then she mentions marrying Ash further on in the book.
However, please note that on page 118 she mentions meeting Mary Crowley and their subsequent friendship. She mentions on page 119 of moving to St. Louis, and then a year later moving back to Texas. Mary Kay is very effusive about Mary Crowley, but no where does she mention getting married to her BROTHER or that Mary Crowley became her sister in law. I think that’s a pretty important piece of information to just leave out.
She may have had her reasons, apparently according to Mary Crowley the marriage lasted nine years and didn’t affect their friendship.
Pynkmyst, I think your situation is a little different than Mary Kay, who became a role model. It could be that she was embarassed or just wanted to forget that piece of history, but I know that there was a great deal of participation between MK Corp and the biography channel, and still somehow, that newspaper clip slipped out, and showed her second husband’s name.
While it is no big deal, it does bother me that some MKers as so into the pink that they won’t even acknowlege it. One poster stated “I have read her biography and it’s not in there so it must not be true.”
December 27, 2007 at 5:53 pm
PS Thanks for posting the update on the MK facts. I think a lot of MKs personal life was lived below the surface of the public face she put on. I am always interested in both the personal and professional lives of women of accomplishment. .
December 27, 2007 at 6:04 pm
Mary Kay’s autobiography is more of an outline of the history of the company as it coincides with her life story. Perhaps her marriage to Crowley doesn’t fit into that story. I’m of the impression she knew Mary Crowley first. I don’t think she was being deceitful at all. I just think it was not relevant to the content of that book and the development of the company. Just my 2¢. Incidentally, I could care less if she was married 3 times, 4 times, or 16 times. It doesn’t change the fact that she created quite a dynasty.
December 27, 2007 at 6:18 pm
It is odd that all documentation I can find states 3 marriages.
December 27, 2007 at 6:30 pm
OK, I’m intrigued now. According to this website: http://www.answers.com/topic/home-interiors-gifts-inc?cat=biz-fin
Mary Kay’s name was Eckman when she met Mary C. Crowley…
December 27, 2007 at 6:36 pm
Perhaps she’s the “Elizabeth Taylor” of the business world. 😉
December 27, 2007 at 6:42 pm
I had forgotten about the “eckman”.
I had read that in “think mink” written by Crowley many years ago. The book I got a few days ago was You Can Too written by Mary Crowley. I didn’t realize it was a revised version of Think Mink.
That’s just my point–shadesofpink before you started looking yourself everything said three marriages.
So maybe I am wrong, there were five marriages.
Rogers
Eckman
Weaver
Hallenbeck
Ash
Thanks for setting the record straight.
December 27, 2007 at 6:48 pm
Also thanks for that great link to how home interiors is now. I think that Dick Heath took over, he used to run Beauticontrol.
December 27, 2007 at 9:04 pm
I think Mary Kay believed that some things are best kept a secret. Hence her adage that a woman who will tell you her age will tell you anything. I think I agree with her sentiment. One of the websites I looked at just said “multiple marriages” so perhaps it is an unknown.
December 27, 2007 at 9:07 pm
Perhaps she felt disclosing so many marriages would hinder the growth of her company. People would pass judgment on her. Perhaps it was a smart business move on her part.
December 28, 2007 at 8:43 am
The question, “Does it matter?” is an interesting one, and I’m not sure there is one good answer. Does the fact she was married multiple times make Mary Kay Cosmetics a better or worse company? No, the company is what it is regardless. Does the fact that she was married multiple times change the fact that she was a warm, engaging, positive person? No, everyone who met her personally seems to describe her in those kinds of terms. Does the fact that she was married multiple times make her less of a savvy businesswoman? No, she built a very successful company that is still going strong. Does the fact that she was married multiple times make her less of a personal role model? Well, maybe and maybe not. Here, we can’t say for sure because we don’t know WHY she was married so many times. We know at least two of those marriages ended in the death of her husband. Certainly those do not detract in any way from her character–the marriage vows state “till death do us part,” and death is in God’s hands. As for the other marriages, we just don’t know what ended them. Did the husband have an affair, did Mary Kay have an affair, was there abuse, did they not try hard enough, were there other factors…we don’t know, so we can’t say for sure.
So her business legacy is not affected at all, and there is simply not enough known to determine whether her personal legacy is or not. The question “Does it matter?” really can’t be answered fully, IMO.
December 28, 2007 at 8:52 am
Well said kare. I do think knowing about the multiples marriages gives you a different picture of MK the woman, not the businesswoman.
December 28, 2007 at 9:18 am
I’m confused . . . if at least 2 of the marriages ended because Mary Kay’s husbands DIED, exactly what does that say about Mary Kay as a person, JanMarie? Are you suggesting that they died to get away from her?
My recall is of 3 marriages:
1. father of her kids, came back from WW2 and didn’t want to be married anymore;
2. the guy she was married to shortly before starting MKC and he died;
3. Mel Ash who died 20 years ago or so.
To me, that doesn’t say anything bad about her. War is a life changing event in a person’s life (as many women today can attest to). I can imagine that someone coming back from war is a different person, based on what they’ve seen and experienced during their time away. And unfortunately, sometimes, I think part of the changes someone goes through can result in no longer wanting to continue the life they’d led before going to war. Does that make Mary Kay a bad person if her husband changed his mind? No.
I just think the whole debate over how many marriages she had is stupid and sexist. No one spends this much time talking about how many marriages Rudy Guiliani or Fred Thompson have had and they are running for President. No one talks about all of Newt Gingrich’s marriages and he was the Speaker of the House.
December 28, 2007 at 10:22 am
anonymous
You must not have read the link that shadesofpink provided, which is unbiased information from a neutral source that says:
Mary Kay’s name wa Eckman
Mary Kay married Mary Crowley’s brother, named Weaver.
It’s as I said before, even with the facts as stated above, where are verifiable, some do not want to believe, or even entertain the posibility of its truth.
Now, you may not have been watching may news shows or political analysis if you are saying that no one cares about how many marriages Rudy Guliana has had: in fact, it’s one of his problems that’s continually being discussed, and most especially the many marriages of his current wife, as being something most rank and file conservatives (especially in the south)take umbrage to.
If you are saying that I am saying that they died to get away from her either you are making a joke or reading something into my meaning that was definitely not there.
December 28, 2007 at 1:15 pm
Man, I guess I just do not see what her marital life has to do with how she ran her company. I know her mission, her products, and how she wanted us to behave as consultants. That’s all I need to know. The rest is just life. Life happens. Oh well!
December 28, 2007 at 1:56 pm
I agree, MKRules. I was trying to say that, too. It’s intriguing that there seems to be a bit of mystery in regard to that topic, but as I said before, maybe it just had nothing to do with the development of her company. Also, since people tend to be judgmental that could be a reason she was not forthcoming if there are additional marriage. But I’m with you–it’s a big who cares IMO. 😉
December 28, 2007 at 2:38 pm
I think JanMarie NSD was just trying to set the record straight because some of the anti-MK people (which is stupid) were trying to discredit Mary Kay Ash and her morals by saying she lied about the number of times she had been married. Two of those marriages ended in death its not like the woman just kept marrying people.
December 28, 2007 at 2:58 pm
Thanks Colleen I was trying to set the record straight as I saw it until shadesofpink pointed out that MK’s name was Eckman when she married Mr. Weaver.
I was once requested to write a piece about this but decided not to.
December 28, 2007 at 9:28 pm
I love Mary Kay the person. My mother, who was married 5 times, I love her too. The marriages have nothing to do with who both of these women are and were as people. Some women are just bad at picking men but are good at a lot of other things. So what?
December 29, 2007 at 8:33 am
We all have different opinions about this matter. I don’t agree that her many marriage have nothing to do with her as a person.
It’s the same with any woman who remarries. Marriage to a woman is a big part of her life. I do think that it is admirable that MK managed to have such a strong career at that day and time while going thru the life changes and adjustments to each husband.
Having been a sociology major, I view marriage as a contributing factor to a person’s development. In my own family I have relatives that have been married multiple times. It’s a fact of life.
December 29, 2007 at 10:15 am
Anyway ladies that’s my last post on the subject and my last visit to this board. I promise!
I wish all of you well in your desires now and in the New Year go come.
December 29, 2007 at 10:32 am
Regardless of how many times she was married, do ya think she might wince a bit if she, somehow, became aware of some of the negative things associated with the company today?
December 29, 2007 at 7:02 pm
dang! this thread got big!! whoda thunk it? go away for a few days and look what happens! LOL
Ok, so the way I see it…
JanMarie was just trying to set the facts straight and clear the air like Colleen said, it did not seem to me that she was judging Mary Kay for it, I could be wrong, but that is my take.
It seems that we all seem to agree… even Blessed (huh?) that the number of marriages did not matter.
We also all seem to agree that folks who are looking for something and anything negative or a way to smear the woman seem to want to use the marriages as a reason.
As far as the comment about husbands who died just to get away from her… well I thought that bit was funny and still do. It points out how asinine the smear attempt is when it comes to the marriages. Again… who cares.
Bottom line, she could have been the Zsa Zsa Gabor of cosmetics and I would not care. For the sake of argument, I could also care less about Giuliani’s marriages (which is apparently given more or less attention based on your geographical location). Why do I not give a rip? Because I am NOT looking to either one of them for marital advice. If a person can do the job, whatever that job is, and has proven themselves, that is good enough for me. Mary Kay Ash proved HERSELF… how? By turning a $5000 investment into a multibillion dollar company and doing the WORK herself. She did not say… YOU Susie Consultant go and do it, SHE DID IT. She booked, she sold, she rebooked and she recruited. She set the example in the area of her life that is of interest to me.
Now Blessed, I do think that she would wince at PT and be amazed that those women were once in her Company and feel blessed that they are gone. 😉 (Sorry couldn’t resist!)
December 30, 2007 at 6:09 am
Great Take Pynkmyst. I really like your attitude regarding this thread.
Hope all of you have a great New Year.
January 1, 2008 at 3:04 am
I agree with Colleen and pynkmyst.
I also agree with JanMarie on her thoughts of correlation of marriage and effect.
I don’t care about the trivia of husbands or the effect on the woman, but I do care that someone is mindful with numbers just for numbers sake if that’s intriguing to them alone. Kudos to you JanMarie.
Personally, I think the discrepancy about the number of marriages documented in numerous, past articles is largely due to reference material made available in archives. These articles of reference, the published articles themselves, simply used to help write another to be published article. Capitalizing on what is already written about the marriages. A snowball effect so to speak.
Some stories just want to include some data to use as a timeline and some stories just want to add extra info to the body of the article. No one article really bothering to get it right, maybe? That’s my take on the whole marital subject matter.
November 4, 2008 at 6:39 am
Is it so important, how many times she had been married or divorced??? She was an extraordinary woman and I am really proud of her and of the company I am belonging to