Mary and John M. Edgar will serve as the honorary chairmen of the 2018 Symphony Ball, “To Paris With Love,” presented by the Symphony League of Kansas City. It will be held on September 8th at The Westin Kansas City at Crown Center. Music Director Michael Stern will present the Symphony’s first performance of the new season. Guests will be captivated by the music, art and cuisine of Paris. 

Mary, née Mary Ann Fisher, and John have lived in Our Town most of their lives. Her parents were the late Pauline “Polly” Sutterfield Fisher and the late Frank Harrison Fisher, who were married for more than 52 years. He is the son of the late Jacqueline “Jacque” Gore Edgar and the late Walter F. Edgar, whose union lasted for 49 years. Mary and John were high school sweethearts at Shawnee Mission East High School. Both graduated from The University of Kansas. She earned a degree in fine arts, and he received a degree in accounting. They were wed at Saint Ann’s Catholic Church on July 10, 1965.  

Mary careered at Hallmark designing cards, and John received a juris doctorate at the University of Missouri–Kansas City. They have two sons, John F. and David, and seven grandchildren. 

After his graduation from the UMKC School of Law, John joined Stinson Mag and Fizzell. He later established the Bryan Cave office in Kansas City as managing partner. In 2002, John and his two sons formed Edgar Law Firm, where he is managing partner. He has served as president of the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, chairman of the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City and founding co-chairman of the Kansas City Life Sciences Institute. John also has been on the board of the Kansas City Symphony.

Mary joined the Symphony League in 1999. She served as  co-chairman of the Symphony Ball with Martha Comment in 2003. The theme that year was “Romance the Night,” and Ann Hampton Callaway was the featured performer in a ballroom decorated in cobalt blue and tangerine. Mary was president of the League in 2008. She also is a member of the Lyric Opera Circle and the Kansas City Ballet Guild. Mary works as a fitness instructor at the Prairie Village Studio of the Kansas City Ballet. Of that, she said, “It is very rewarding to see my students coming back year after year, gaining strength, balance and friendships. Plus, I enjoy my workout at the same time.”

Both of them feel so humbled to be this year’s honorary chairmen and see Our Town as such a vibrant city for the arts. “The Kansas City Symphony touches so many lives through the Ballet, the Lyric Opera, school performances, the Celebration at the Station, and so much more,” said Mary. “The Symphony is truly a jewel for Our Town.”

Also featured in the July 21, 2018 issue of The Independent
Photo Credit: Strauss Peyton