Jean B. Cryor

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Jean B. Cryor

| image =

| caption =

| state_delegate = Maryland

| district = 15th

| term_start = January 11, 1995

| term_end = January 10, 2007

| deputy =

| predecessor = Gene W. Counihan, Judith C. Toth, & Jean W. Roesser

| successor = Craig L. Rice

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1938|12|13|mf=y}}

| birth_place = Delaware County, Pennsylvania

| death_date = {{death date and age|2009|11|3|1938|12|13}}

| death_place =

| constituency = Montgomery County, Maryland

| party = Republican

| spouse =

| profession =

| religion =

| signature =

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Jean B. Cryor (December 13, 1938 – November 3, 2009) was a member of the Maryland House of Delegates for District 15, which covers a portion of Montgomery County, Maryland, and later sat on the Montgomery County Planning Board.

Background

Cryor was born (December 13, 1938) in Lansdowne, Pennsylvania and raised in the suburbs of Philadelphia.{{cite news |title=Planning Board member Cryor dies |url=http://www.gazette.net/stories/11032009/montnew214446_32569.shtml |work=The Gazette |date=November 3, 2009 |access-date=November 4, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100105052320/http://www.gazette.net/stories/11032009/montnew214446_32569.shtml |archive-date=January 5, 2010 |url-status=dead }} She lived in Montgomery County, Maryland for over 35 years, and died on November 3, 2009, of cancer.{{cite news |title=Family, Friends Mourn Cryor's Death |url=http://connectionarchives.com/PDF/2009/111109/Potomac.pdf |work=Potomac Almanac |volume=LIII|issue=44 |date=November 4, 2009 |pages=3–5}}

=Education=

Cryor attended Convent of the Sacred Heart in Overbrook, Pennsylvania, now located in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.{{cite web |title=Jean B. Cryor, Maryland State Delegate |url=https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/06hse/former/html/msa12204.html |website=Maryland Manual On-Line |publisher=Maryland State Archives}}{{cite news |title=Country Day School of the Sacred Heart welcomes new head of school |url=http://www.mainlinemedianews.com/mainlinesuburbanlife/life/country-day-school-of-the-sacred-heart-welcomes-new-head/article_8dc936cd-d07b-572d-ba92-76d5d37fb279.html |work=Main Line Suburban Life |date=September 9, 2016 }}{{Dead link|date=October 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} She attended the University of Pennsylvania. In 1979, she graduated from Loyola College in Maryland with her M.B.A.

=Family=

She married Daniel J. Cryor (1933–1978) November 21, 1959.{{cite news |last1=Williams |first1=Edgar |title=Dan Cryor; TV newsman, legislative aide |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/?spot=9860132&fcfToken=736e5a4b6d45524739376d7a5577674e594a34673151614b4d6e5872376a72424548726c597146653957744b304432676436493175312f505972502b6c6d6a62 |work=Philadelphia Inquirer |date=June 2, 1978 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190302030342/https://www.newspapers.com/image/?spot=9860132&fcfToken=736e5a4b6d45524739376d7a5577674e594a34673151614b4d6e5872376a72424548726c597146653957744b304432676436493175312f505972502b6c6d6a62 |archive-date=2 March 2019 |location=newspapers.com |page=30 |access-date=1 March 2019 |url-status=bot: unknown }} The Cryors moved to the Washington, D.C. area in 1972 for Mr. Cryor's job as a television reporter, and he later became a legislative aide for Rep. Edwin B. Forsythe.{{cite news |title=Dan Cryor Dies, Hill Aide Wrote Columns on Coins |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1978/06/02/dan-cryor-dies-hill-aide-wrote-columns-on-coins/62cd3e9a-3c0a-4f09-a572-2ddd1d2fb939/ |work=Washington Post |date=June 2, 1978}} After her husband's sudden death at the age of 45, Cryor raised her three daughters, Allison, Jennifer and Deirdre, as a widow in Potomac, Maryland.{{cite news |last1=Donaghue |first1=Erin |title=Jean Cryor fondly remembered at funeral Mass |url=http://www.gazette.net/stories/11092009/montnew145128_32587.shtml |work=The Gazette |date=November 9, 2009 |access-date=March 1, 2019 |archive-date=March 2, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190302024713/http://www.gazette.net/stories/11092009/montnew145128_32587.shtml |url-status=dead }}

Career

Cryor spent much of her career in journalism. She was a reporter for the Philadelphia Bulletin, and for 10 years, she was the mid-Atlantic head for the election reporting pool of the networks and wire services. She was an editor and publisher at The Gazette, launching the Potomac, Bethesda, Chevy Chase and Poolesville Gazettes.{{cite web |title=Montgomery County Planning Board Commissioner, Former Maryland Delegate Jean Cryor Dies After Short Illness |url=https://www.montgomeryparks.org/montgomery-county-planning-board-commissioner-former-maryland-delegate-jean-cryor-dies-after-short-i/ |website=Montgomery County Department of Parks |date=November 3, 2009 |access-date=March 1, 2019 |archive-date=March 2, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190302024449/https://www.montgomeryparks.org/montgomery-county-planning-board-commissioner-former-maryland-delegate-jean-cryor-dies-after-short-i/ |url-status=dead }}

Cryor was first elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 1994, winning re-election twice, serving on the Ways and Means Committee during her 12-year tenure in Annapolis. In 2005, she was the only Republican to support the creation of a Pay Equity Commission, voting to override the veto of Governor Bob Ehrlich.{{cite web |last1=Schleter |first1=Brian |title=The Maryland Commission for Women Inducts Six Honorees into Maryland's Women's Hall of Fame |url=http://news.dhr.maryland.gov/reports/that/the-maryland-commission-for-women-inducts-six-honorees-into-marylands-womens-hall-of-fame/ |website=Maryland Department of Human Services |publisher=Maryland Commission for Women |date=March 21, 2013}}

In 2006, she lost her bid for a fourth term by just 152 votes to Democrat Craig L. Rice – Cryor was the only incumbent Republican Delegate from Montgomery County. The Montgomery County Council appointed her to the County Planning Board in June 2007.

Cryor was selected as a delegate for the 2000 Republican National Convention. She was the only Republican to have been elected president of the Women Legislators of Maryland. She served on numerous boards, including the Maryland Commission for Women, the Universities of Maryland/Shady Grove, BlackRock Center for the Arts, the Potomac Theater Company and Montgomery Women.

Awards

Cryor won several awards over her career, including first prize for Investigative Reporting by the Maryland Society of Professional Journalists in 1993. She was honored as Citizen of the Year (1993) by the Almanac Newspapers; Legislator of the Year (2000) by the Maryland Retailers Association; Businessperson of the Year (2002) by the Maryland Businesses for Responsive Government; Building the Bridge to Excellence in Maryland Public Schools (2002) by the State Board of Education; Legislator of the Year (2002) by the Childhood Brain Tumor Foundation and Registry of Maryland; Maryland's Top 100 Women by the Daily Record (2003 and 2006); the Woman of Achievement Award (2005) by the Suburban Maryland Business and Professional Women Association; and the Lifetime Service Award (2006) from the Potomac Chamber of Commerce.

In July 2010, Glen Hills Park near her Potomac home was dedicated in her honor.{{cite news |last=Grant |first=Cissy Finley |title=Friends, Family Gather for Park Dedication |url=http://connectionarchives.com/PDF/2010/072110/Potomac.pdf |work=Potomac Almanac |volume=LIV|issue=29 |date=July 21, 2010 |page=4}} In 2013, she was inducted into the Maryland Women's Hall of Fame and was awarded the House of Delegates' Thomas Kennedy Award.

Election results

2006 Race for Maryland House of Delegates – District 15{{cite web| url=http://www.elections.state.md.us/elections/2002/results/g_house_of_delegate.html| title=House of Delegates Results |publisher=Maryland State Board of Elections}} Retrieved on Nov. 20, 2007

::Voters to choose three:

class="wikitable"
Name !Votes !Percent !Outcome
{{Party shading/Democratic}} \|Kathleen M. Dumais, Dem. \|25,781 \| 21.6% \| Won
{{Party shading/Democratic}} \|Brian J. Feldman, Dem. \|25,760 \| 21.6% \| Won
{{Party shading/Democratic}} \|Craig L. Rice, Dem. \|20,202 \| 17.0% \| Won
{{Party shading/Republican}} \|Jean B. Cryor, Rep. \|20,050 \| 16.8% \| Lost
{{Party shading/Republican}} \|Brian Mezger, Rep. \|14,112 \| 11.8% \| Lost
{{Party shading/Republican}} \|Chris Pilkerton, Rep. \|13,174 \| 11.1% \| Lost

class="wikitable"

Name

!Votes

!Percent

!Outcome

|Kathleen M. Dumais, Dem.

|25,781

| 21.6%

| Won

|Brian J. Feldman, Dem.

|25,760

| 21.6%

| Won

|Craig L. Rice, Dem.

|20,202

| 17.0%

| Won

|Jean B. Cryor, Rep.

|20,050

| 16.8%

| Lost

|Brian Mezger, Rep.

|14,112

| 11.8%

| Lost

|Chris Pilkerton, Rep.

|13,174

| 11.1%

| Lost

2002 Race for Maryland House of Delegates – District 15

::Voters to choose three:

class="wikitable"
Name !Votes !Percent !Outcome
{{Party shading/Republican}} \|Jean B. Cryor, Rep. \|20,584 \| 18.7% \| Won
{{Party shading/Democratic}} \|Brian J. Feldman, Dem. \|19,719 \| 17.9% \| Won
{{Party shading/Democratic}} \|Kathleen M. Dumais, Dem. \|19,246 \| 17.5% \| Won
{{Party shading/Democratic}} \|John Young, Dem. \|17,358 \| 15.8% \| Lost
{{Party shading/Republican}} \|William Ferner Askinazi, Rep. \|16,693 \| 15.2% \| Lost
{{Party shading/Republican}} \|Mary Kane, Rep. \|16,579 \| 15.0% \| Lost
Other Write-Ins \|42 \| 0.0% \| Lost

class="wikitable"

Name

!Votes

!Percent

!Outcome

|Jean B. Cryor, Rep.

|20,584

| 18.7%

| Won

|Brian J. Feldman, Dem.

|19,719

| 17.9%

| Won

|Kathleen M. Dumais, Dem.

|19,246

| 17.5%

| Won

|John Young, Dem.

|17,358

| 15.8%

| Lost

|William Ferner Askinazi, Rep.

|16,693

| 15.2%

| Lost

|Mary Kane, Rep.

|16,579

| 15.0%

| Lost

Other Write-Ins

|42

| 0.0%

| Lost

1998 Race for Maryland House of Delegates – District 15{{cite web| url=http://www.elections.state.md.us/elections/1998/results_1998/gahod.html| title=House of Delegates Results |publisher=Maryland State Board of Elections}} Retrieved on Nov. 20, 2007

::Voters to choose three:

class="wikitable"
Name !Votes !Percent !Outcome
{{Party shading/Democratic}} \|Mark K. Shriver, Dem. \|26,114 \| 22% \| Won
{{Party shading/Republican}} \|Jean B. Cryor, Rep. \|22,160 \| 19% \| Won
{{Party shading/Republican}} \|Richard A. La Vay, Rep. \|18,395 \| 16% \| Won
{{Party shading/Democratic}} \|David B. Dashefsky, Dem. \|17,818 \| 15% \| Lost
{{Party shading/Republican}} \|William Ferner Askinazi, Rep. \|16,882 \| 14% \| Lost
{{Party shading/Democratic}} \|Anthony Patrick Puca, Dem. \|16,841 \| 14% \| Lost

class="wikitable"

Name

!Votes

!Percent

!Outcome

|Mark K. Shriver, Dem.

|26,114

| 22%

| Won

|Jean B. Cryor, Rep.

|22,160

| 19%

| Won

|Richard A. La Vay, Rep.

|18,395

| 16%

| Won

|David B. Dashefsky, Dem.

|17,818

| 15%

| Lost

|William Ferner Askinazi, Rep.

|16,882

| 14%

| Lost

|Anthony Patrick Puca, Dem.

|16,841

| 14%

| Lost

1994 Race for Maryland House of Delegates – District 15{{cite web| url=http://www.elections.state.md.us/elections/1994/results_1994/gahod.html| title=House of Delegates Results |publisher=Maryland State Board of Elections}} Retrieved on Nov. 20, 2007

::Voters to choose three:

class="wikitable"
Name !Votes !Percent !Outcome
{{Party shading/Democratic}} \|Mark K. Shriver, Dem. \|20,696 \| 20% \| Won
{{Party shading/Republican}} \|Jean Cryor, Rep. \|18,804 \| 18% \| Won
{{Party shading/Republican}} \|Richard La Vay, Rep. \|17,214 \| 17% \| Won
{{Party shading/Democratic}} \|Stuart D. Schooler, Dem. \|15,882 \| 15% \| Lost
{{Party shading/Democratic}} \|Elizabeth Tookie Gentilcore, Dem. \|15,325 \| 15% \| Lost
{{Party shading/Republican}} \|Davis M. Richardson, Rep. \|15,847 \| 15% \| Lost

class="wikitable"

Name

!Votes

!Percent

!Outcome

|Mark K. Shriver, Dem.

|20,696

| 20%

| Won

|Jean Cryor, Rep.

|18,804

| 18%