She graduated from Northwest Missouri State University with a bachelor's degree in secondary education, after which she taught in Iowa and Oregon for seven years combined.
As a curriculum assistant for the Territory of Alaska Department of Education, she helped teach rural students through a correspondence program.
[1] Mary Lou King has been involved in conservation, education, and public health projects in Alaska for over 50 years.
At this time she also began running the area's "Sea Week" program, taking grade school students on field trips with marine specialists to learn about the local marine environment and maritime industry, history, and culture.
[5] She helped to identify and photograph two new species for the official Alaska state checklist of birds: the green-backed heron (August 1983, #407) and the scissor-tailed flycatcher (July 2002, #469).