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Remembering Mai Bell Hurley: Hopeful and HelpfulArts advocate, Chattanooga leader Mai Bell Hurley dies
Chattanooga lost one of its brightest lights Friday morning when Mai Bell Hurley died at the age of 87.
Hurley was, for decades, a passionate and smiling volunteer, community advocate and public servant to the city she loved.
She was a founding member and repeat chairwoman of Allied Arts, the Tennessee Arts Commission and the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera. She was the first woman elected to the Chattanooga City Council, where she served for 11 years.
She was the first chairwoman of Chattanooga Venture, the organization that was critical in prompting Chattanooga's renaissance in the 1980s and '90s.
She also was a leader in United Way and was that organization's first female Community Campaign Chair in 1988 and its board chairwoman in 2004-2005.
Her love of community and quiet, steady leadership will be missed.