Queer Places:
Betty Finney House HIV/AIDS Memorial Garden, W Lemon St, Lancaster, PA 17603
Saint Johns Episcopal Church Columbarium Lancaster, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, USA

Dr. Betty Finney (April 11, 1926 - July 7, 2012) retired in 2001 as professor of psychology emerita from Millersville University after 33 years, having served several years as chairman of the Department of Psychology. She dedicated her life to service and volunteerism and was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by Mental Health in America in 2010. Finney co-founded Psychological Associates of Lancaster in 1970 and served on the boards of Hospice of Lancaster County, Lancaster Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse and the United Way. She was one of the founders of the Betty Finney AIDS House.

Born in New York City in 1926, she was the daughter of Agnes Campbell and James Phillip Mackey. Betty graduated high school from the Montrose School for Girls, Montrose, PA. She received a B.A. Degree in Concentrated Sciences from Flora Stone Mather in Cleveland, OH (1946); a Master's Degree in Counseling in 1958 and a PhD in Educational Psychology in 1968 from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH.

Betty was an educator for more than 55 years. She retired in 2001 as Professor of Psychology Emerita from Millersville University after 33 years, having served several years as Chairman of the Department of Psychology. She was the co-founder of Psychological Associates of Lancaster in 1970. She was active in community activities and her church, St. John's Episcopal Church. She served on the Boards of Hospice of Lancaster County, Lancaster Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, and the United Way. She was a committee member of the Human Services Steering Committee of the Lancaster County Housing and Redevelopment Authority, an Ombudsman for the Office of Aging, a Disaster Mental Health Worker for the American Red Cross, and a Critical Incident Stress Debriefer for Lancaster Emergency Management. She was one of the founders of the Betty Finney AIDS House. She was a member of the Manor Township Youth Aid Panel, the Lancaster Public Service Research Institute, and a consultant for RAPE and Head Start. Betty has received several honors and awards in recognition of her outstanding service and community involvement. The Lancaster Medical Society presented the Benjamin Rush Award; the MSU Department of Special Education awarded her the MSU Exceptional Educator. In 1994 she received the Jean Royer Kohr Award and that same year she was named the National Episcopal Church Woman by the Harrisburg Diocese. The following year she received the Diocesan Faith and Hope Award for her outstanding ministry in the AIDS epidemic. Her alma mater, Case Western Reserve University, presented her with the Distinguished Alumna Award and she received the Honorary Alumna Award from MSU in 2006. In 2009 MSU presented her with the Distinguished Civic Leadership Award. She was given the Lifetime Achievement Award by Mental Health in America in 2010 and, most recently, the Millersville University Commission on the Status of Women recognized her many contributions to the University through her years of teaching, activism and mentoring. Betty was a fierce crusader against ignorance and intolerance, and dedicated her life to service and volunteerism. Beyond her affiliation with so many community organizations, the true essence of Betty was measured in the individual relationships she built and the lives that she touched. She quietly and effectively counseled, assisted and inspired so many people in the community. Her insight, compassion and advocacy improved so many lives and she will be greatly missed.

Dr. Betty Finney died in Lewes, DE on July 7, 2012 at the age of 86.

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