Talk:Mary Kay Ash

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[edit] Comment

Regarding birthdate, which is questioned: Like many women, she probably got younger as she aged (that is, she lied by giving a more recent birthdate as it became necessary: One source, probably documenting this at a late stage, is the Social Security Death Index, which shows a "Mary K. [sic] Ash" with a SSN of 465-40-5167 who last resided in Dallas, Texas, as having been born on 12 May 1918 and dying 22 November 2001. Her SSN was issued in Texas before 1951. So that's at least one citable source for "a" birthdate, though one that will need to be reconsidered if variant dates are found sprinkled about other documents. - Nunh-huh 08:20, 16 Jan 2005 (UTC)

TEXAS OBITUARIES (July 2001-July 2003) (from the Texas Almanac 2004-2005) gives her age at death in 2001 as 83: "Ash, Mary Kay, 83; her cosmetics company (known for its signature color pink) grew from 11 employees in 1963 to a multimillion-dollar global empire at her death; in Dallas, November 22, 2001." This also gives an approximate birth date of 1918. (and shows only that she lied consistently at the end<g>).

What's needed to pin this down is her early census records, which will give an actual, unenhanced birthdate, if they can be located. Nunh-huh- 08:20, 16 Jan 2005 (UTC)


Britannica gives 1918. I'm leaning pretty strongly toward that one; all the sources for the 1915 date seem third-hand and unreliable. One site even gives "Mary Kay Ash, the founder the Mary Kay cosmetics company, died Thursday, November 22, 2001, at her home in Dallas. ... She was 83. ... Born in 1915..."! Do the math, kids! CNN's obituary reads "Various media reports gave her age as 83, but company spokeswoman Jennie Moore said the legendary entrepreneur never revealed her age." Perhaps we should go with "(1918?-2001)." -leigh (φθόγγος) 09:46, Jan 16, 2005 (UTC)

I checked the census records, and 1918 is legit. First, a biography, American Women Managers and Administrators by Judith A. Leavitt (Greenwood Publishing Group, 1985), names MKA's parents as Edward Alexander and Lula Vember Hastings Wagner. The 1920 census (accessed from heritagequestonline.com with the help of my public-library card), dated January 6, 1920, lists an Alexander Wagner in Harris County, Texas, with wife Lula, and a daughter Mary, age 1 9/12 (which would put her birth month as March or April 1918 [close enough?]). Then the 1930 census shows Edward A. Wagner in Harris Co., wife Lula, daughter Mary C. [sic], age 11. (The C. middle initial is understandable if her original middle name, Kathlyn, was spoken to the census taker, who assumed that started with a C and recorded it accordingly.) Emoll (talk) 15:31, 1 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Harvard Business School

I delete the reference to Harvard Business School. If there is any evidence from a source other than Mary Kay (Corporate) and/or Mary Kay Consultants, that any of the books that Mary kay wrote have been used in any business course, then it can be added back. 67.136.147.122 17:21, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Article neutrality

This article as presently written makes Mary Kay Ash seem like a sort of saint. Even if she was a wonderful person, it still seems a bit over the top. Anyone who was the subject of a TV movie entitled "Hell on Heels: The Battle of Mary Kay" has to have been more interesting than that. I don't know enough about the subject myself, however, to take this one on. --A. B. 13:16, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

i am stupid

[edit] WikiProject class rating

This article was automatically assessed because at least one article was rated and this bot brought all the other ratings up to at least that level. BetacommandBot 23:35, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Herpes

Someone keeps adding that she suffered herpes. It was a stroke.. Hannabee 17:31, 19 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Website

Her website was previously a porn site. I removed that and replaced it with http://www.marykay.com/ —Preceding unsigned comment added by Spasty (talk • contribs) 04:50, 30 October 2007 (UTC)