Her family immigrated to New York in 1904, but soon after, her mother was widowed and placed Mary, her middle child into an orphanage called Rock Nook Home for Children.
[1] The Thorps had three other children, Elliott, who would become a Brigadier General and was MacArthur's chief of counter-intelligence during World War II; Walter and a daughter,[4] Elsie.
Her mother, Hadla, who had been unsuccessful in annulling the Thorp’s guardianship, arrived at the school and tried to take Dahood back to Brooklyn to work at the boardinghouse she operated.
She went on to complete a Master of Education from Boston University in 1932, with a thesis entitled Objective Studies Showing Need for Giving Instruction in Use of Geography Tools.
[11] She was a prominent speaker on education, child development and health, speaking at women’s groups, nursing colleges,[6] PTA meetings[12] and various civic organizations.