In Memoriam: Anne Mahoney

Dear DU community members,

We write with the sad news of the passing of Anne Rankin Mahoney, PhD, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Sociology and Criminology and former Director of Women’s Studies at the University of Denver, on Sept. 19, 2025, at the age of 88.

Mahoney taught for 33 years at DU and was a feminist and proud trailblazer as a woman in academia. She was a steadfast champion for equality among DU’s female faculty, staff, and students, continuing a tradition of advocacy that began with the Committee for Women on Campus (CFWC) in the early 1970s, which worked to address salary inequities and tenure policies for DU’s female faculty. A committed educator and mentor, Mahoney was the 1986-87 recipient of DU’s Distinguished Teaching Award.

Mahoney’s scholarship in the areas of juvenile justice, gender, and family was incisive. Of particular note is her important 1974 article in Law and Society Review, which critically assessed labeling theory, then considered a brilliant new paradigm for the study of delinquency, crime, and deviance. It took some courage on Mahoney’s part to challenge this highly esteemed perspective and to argue that it promised much more than it delivered.

Mahoney also played a crucial role in advancing the Women’s Studies Program at DU during a pivotal period in its development. From 1992 to 1995, she served as the program’s first paid director. Under her leadership, she helped expand women’s studies across all parts of the University, engaging faculty and graduate students from diverse disciplines in this vital academic endeavor and contributed to the establishment of Women’s Studies as an undergraduate major. Mahoney’s work helped ensure that the program, which would later evolve into what is now known as Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies, remained a vital force for promoting gender equity and scholarly excellence across the University.

Colleagues remember Mahoney as a dedicated scholar who earned her PhD in Sociology from Columbia University, with previous degrees from Northwestern University and Kent State University. Her impact extended well beyond our campus through her early groundbreaking work as research director of the Manhattan Bail Project in the early 1960s, where her contributions were foundational to bail reform efforts throughout the United States. Throughout her life, she was an accomplished writer, publishing poetry in prominent publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and the Village Voice, alongside scholarly works on criminal and juvenile justice, family, and travel.

For more details about Mahoney, please visit the obituary on the Dignity Memorial website. A memorial service will occur at 10 a.m. on Oct. 25, 2025, at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Denver, 4101 E. Hampden Ave., Denver, CO.

She is survived by her husband, Barry Mahoney; her children, Katherine and Michael; and her three grandchildren, Maya, Sofia, and Audrey.

Please join us in conveying our warmest condolences to Mahoney’s family, friends, colleagues, and former students.

With very best regards,