Mary L. Wallace; Called 1st Woman to Sing on Radio

Mary Lewis Wallace, who in 1921 became the first female vocalist to sing over “wireless telephone” or radio, has died at the Casitas Care Center in Granada Hills. She was 92.

She died last Monday from problems related to old age, said her daughter, Louisa Wallace Jacobs.

Known professionally as Little Mary White and Mary Lewis, the lyric soprano was born in Bethany, Mo., Dec. 1, 1896. She began her singing career in the Midwest and toured the United States, becoming a headliner on the Sid Grauman theater circuit and in radio broadcasts.

She abandoned her career after marrying film director Richard Wallace, a founder of the Screen Directors Guild. After his death in 1951, she became an artists’ booking agent in New York and Los Angeles.

Mrs. Wallace is survived by her daughter and two grandsons. Jacobs asked that memorial contributions be made to the 28th Church of Christ, Scientist, Westwood Village.