Barkan, Mary Flynn, 1949-

Genealogist and former teacher Mary Flynn Barkan (1949- ) is an active member of the Jewish Genealogy Society of Southern Nevada (JGSSN) and a past president of the Friends of Southern Nevada Libraries. She moved to Las Vegas, Nevada with her husband Barry Barkan in 1977. She taught at Cashman Junior High School before leaving the Clark County School District in 1981 to work at her husband’s company DeBarry Packaging. Mary Barkan became a member of the Friends of Southern Nevada Libraries in the early 1980s and joined the Board of Directors in 1983. She also served as president of the organization and managed the warehouse of books that the Friends sold to raise money for library projects. As a member of JGSSN, Barkan conducts genealogical research and teaches others how to document their family histories. For nine years she was editor of JGSSN’s quarterly bulletin Family Legacies. She was honored by the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS) in February 2007 for her dedication to preserving historical records.

Barkan was born in Quantico, Virginia on March 3, 1949. She was raised in Yuma, Arizona and graduated from Yuma High School in 1967. Barkan earned her degree in Secondary Education from the University of Arizona and taught English at her former high school, during which time she met her future husband Barry Barkan. The couple lived in Tucson, Arizona while Barry completed his doctorate and Mary finished her masters. They were married in Yuma on January 29, 1977 and moved to Las Vegas in the summer of 1977.