Mary Stone McLendon

Mary "Ataloa" Stone McLendon (1896–1967) was a Native American musician, storyteller, humanitarian, and educator, who was a member of the Chickasaw Nation.

[1][2][4] She one of four children born to William Stone and Josephine McLish Smith, her father was European-American and her mother was Chickasaw, with a quarter blood quantum.

[8] After graduation she moved to New York City to continue her studies at Columbia University, and by 1928 she shared an apartment with Chickasaw actress Te Ata.

[2][5] McLendon referred to Ata as her "cousin" however its unknown if they were related or if they knew each other prior to living in New York City.

[1] With the new building in place by 1932, fine art became part of the schools curriculum and McLendon served as the first director of the program.

[10] In the 1950s, she served on the Save the Children Foundation committee to help Navajo Nation families fight against malnutrition complicated by a tuberculosis outbreak.

[1] East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma opened the Hallie Brown Ford Arts Center's Ataloa Theatre in 2009.