Mary Caperton Bingham was the matriarch of the Bingham family which owned the Courier-Journal, the Louisville Times, WHAS, Inc. and other communications properties. Active in the operations, she was a book editor of the Courier-Journal between 1942 and 1968, and an editorial writer during the World War II and a vice president and director of the companies. Throughout her life she was a fighter for causes: bookmobiles in rural Kentucky counties, environmental issues, the United Nations, relief to war-torn Europe, arts, education, and libraries. Following the sale of their media empire in 1986, she and her husband gave nearly $60 million in philanthropic grants, including funds for the Louisville Falls Foundation and the Louisville waterfront. She is a native of Richmond, Virginia and a graduate of Radcliffe College. Mary Caperton Bingham died on April 18, 1995.