Ann Myers Liacouras, 81, a lawyer and the wife of Temple University president

Ann Myers Liacouras, 81, of Gladwyne, a lawyer and the widow of former Temple University president Peter J. Liacouras, died Wednesday, July 18, of Lewy body dementia at Waverly Heights in Gladwyne.

Mrs. Liacouras was born to Howard and Grace Myers in the Mississippi Delta town of Greenwood. Although her parents had little formal education, they instilled in Mrs. Liacouras and her sister, Barbara, a passion for learning.

Mrs. Liacouras graduated from Greenwood High School and from Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss., in 1958, with the aim of becoming a college professor.

She moved to Medford, Mass., after receiving a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship to study political science at Tufts University's Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.

"Ann came very close to realizing her dream of being a college professor," her family said in a tribute. She received a master's degree from the Fletcher School, went on a Fulbright scholarship to study political science at the Australian National University, and completed the coursework for a doctorate in political science at Bryn Mawr College, although not the dissertation.

As many women of her generation did, Mrs. Liacouras interrupted her studies for family reasons. She raised four children in Gladwyne with husband Peter, whom she married in 1958.

Mrs. Liacouras was active in Democratic politics, serving as a committeewoman in Lower Merion. The highlight was her election as a delegate to the 1988 Democratic National Convention. She was rewarded with that post after serving as a regional manager for the Michael S. Dukakis presidential campaign in New Hampshire and on the national staff assigned to Pennsylvania.

She told the Inquirer in July 1988 that she had liked Dukakis since meeting him in 1980.

"I was always impressed with his personal qualities, his integrity, his poise, his leadership," she said.

In 1974, at age 37, Mrs. Liacouras returned to school to earn a law degree at Temple University. She was a first-year law student at the time her husband was dean of the law school.

She told the Inquirer in January 1975 that she enjoyed relative anonymity at the law school. Those who recognized her didn't care who she was.

Her husband was quoted as saying: "I treat her just like any other student, the difference being that I see her every morning when we drive to school."

Mrs. Liacouras decided to study law instead of political science, she said, "because I was looking for a challenge on a different intellectual level. I'm not going to school to entertain myself. I hope to do something with it."

She graduated in 1977.

"Looking back, I am amazed Mom was able to attend law school full-time, raise four children, and manage a household effortlessly," said her daughter, Lisa.

Mrs. Liacouras launched her legal career by working as a law clerk for Pennsylvania Supreme Court Chief Justices Henry C. O'Brien and Michael J. Eagan. She then joined the Beasley Law Firm LLC in Center City as a trial lawyer handling civil litigation.

"She always identified with the underdog, and she loved the role of helping individuals who had been harmed," said son Greg, also a Philadelphia trial lawyer.

In the late 1980s, she joined the staff of the Education Law Center in Center City, working to ensure that children living in poverty or with disabilities had access to a quality public education.

"Mom personally experienced the benefit of a great public education and wanted to ensure that same opportunity for everyone. She believed a good public education system to be a pillar of a vibrant democracy," said her son Stephen.

Peter Liacouras was president of Temple from 1982 to 2000. During the time he served as law school dean and president, Mrs. Liacouras made it a point to attend every campus event that she could.

Mrs. Liacouras loved the theater and was a longtime patron of the arts in Philadelphia. She served on the board of directors of the Walnut Street Theatre for two decades ending in 2010.

She loved traveling and learning about other cultures. "We will remember many things about our mom, but especially her brilliant mind and infectious laugh," said son Jim.

Mrs. Liacouras' husband died in 2016. Her sister, Barbara, also died earlier. In addition to her children, she is survived by three grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

A visitation from 1 to 2 p.m. Monday, July 23, will be followed by a 2 p.m. funeral service at West Laurel Hill's Memorial Chapel, 225 Belmont Ave., Bala Cynwyd.  Interment will be in Independent Order of Odd Fellows Cemetery, Gladwyne.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Peter and Ann Liacouras Scholarship Fund at Temple University via https://bit.ly/2uPSzkk.