Mary "Mae" Foley was a force to be reckoned with. On one hip, she held her makeup compact; on the other, her NYPD badge. When women were fighting for the vote, Mae was fighting crime in the heart of New York City --- taking down rapists, bootleggers, Nazis and serial killers. One of the first women to be sworn into the police force, Mae not only fought crime in the city that never sleeps, but also did something much bigger --- challenged the patriarchal systems that continually tried to shut her and other women down. The result of her efforts? A long career that helped over 2,000 women join her auxiliary police force, the “Masher Squad.” Mae Foley is proof that women can do anything men can do, all while wearing corsets and the perfect shade of rouge.
Mari K. Eder is a retired U.S. Army Major General, a renowned speaker and author, and a thought leader on strategic communication and leadership. General Eder is the former Commanding General of the U.S. Army Reserve Joint and Special Troops Support Command, former Deputy Chief of the Army Reserve and former Deputy Chief of Public Affairs for the U.S. Army. General Eder is the author of LEADING THE NARRATIVE, THE GIRLS WHO STEPPED OUT OF LINE and THE GIRLS WHO FOUGHT CRIME.
In "The Girls Who Fought Crime: The Untold True Story of the Country’s First Female Investigator and Her Crime Fighting Squad," a retired US army major general tells the story of Mary Foley.
Historic Hotels of America® is pleased to announce that Major General Mari K. Eder (U.S. Army, Retired) has been named the recipient of the 2023 Historic Hotels of America Historian of the Year Award.