Sue Fryer Ward (October 28, 1935 – June 22, 2014) was an American elder rights activist who served as the first secretary of the Maryland Department of Aging.
[1][2][3] After graduating from Western High School in Washington, D.C., she attended the College of William & Mary, spending a year of her studies at the American University of Beirut and obtaining a bachelor's in government in 1957.
[1][2] In 1978, she ran for Congress against Republican Rep. Marjorie Holt, but she failed to defeat the incumbent — her daughter later said she knew it was a lost cause, but "she didn't think elections should go unchallenged.
She battled budget crises, advocating for the importance of elder services, and worked to encourage and empower social workers.
[1][2][5] Archibald was 23 years her senior, and her work in elder advocacy became personal as she cared for him in his old age, as well as for her mother, who had dementia.