Schaefer sat on the board of the National Flute Association as well as being a faculty member of the New England Conservatory of Music.
Her decades-long music legacy made her a trailblazing musician for women and contributed to the success of BSO's flute section.
[1] Charles Frederick Schaefer was a fruit industry broker while Mary Elizabeth Wherry was a school teacher and notably taught her daughters piano.
While in college, she studied under Georges Laurent, known for his principal flutist position in the BSO, as well as Frank Horsfall, and Sebastian Caratelli.
[3] In 1951, Schaefer was hired as the assistant principal flutist for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra by Rafael Kubelík.
[2] During retirement, she spent time traveling in Africa, Costa Rica, Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands, and Machu Picchu, among others.