Mary Roman

Mary Barboza Roman (September 9, 1935 – March 23, 2020) was an American senior Olympics athlete and community leader.

Early life Born Mary Barboza in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, she was the daughter of a nurse and a railroad construction worker. She was the eldest of three children. The family lived in the Berkshires, where some of their cousins, including Lynda Jean Gunn, occasionally modeled for illustrations by Norman Rockwell. Mary graduated from Williams High School and Springfield College.

Athletic achievements After contracting polio as a child, Roman was advised to do English-style horseback riding as it would strengthen her legs. "I guess it worked," she later said.

Beginning in 1989, encouraged by her husband's competitive swimming athleticism, Roman competed in senior track and field events.

In 2009, she competed in the New England Regional Outdoor Track and Field Championships, winning four gold medals in the women's age 70-74 category; the Masters Outdoor Championships, where she won three gold medals, a silver and a bronze; and the Senior Olympics (Senior Games), where she won a silver. The Fairfield County Sports Commission named her Norwalk's Sports Person of the Year for 2009. In 2017 she received a donation from the Fairfield County Sports Commission to support her participation in the World Masters Games in Australia.

By 2014 Mary Roman had won more than 250 medals and was ranked first in the United States in the women's age 75-79 ultra-weight throw, super-weight throw, and weight throw; and eighth in the world in the latter. She also held the U.S. record in the shot put in the women's 65–69, 70–74, and 75-79 age groups.

Her community volunteer activities included serving on many boards and commissions, including the Norwalk Senior Center, STAR, Rotary Club, and the city's Charter Revision Commission.

In recognition of her community service and athletic achievements, in November 2024, Norwalk renamed the track around Malmquist Field, located on the city hall campus, for Roman.

Death Roman died from complications of COVID-19 in Norwalk, Connecticut, on March 23, 2020, at age 84. After her death, Roman was featured in a COVID-19 memorial segment on PBS television.