Mary E. Dichmann was born in New Orleans. She was the daughter of Karl Vilhelm Dichmann of Copehagen, Denmark and Ethel Williams Dichmann of New Orleans. Dichmann received her B.A. degree in English in 1935. She then taught high school for two years in Canton, Mississippi. Afterwards, she attended the University of North Carolina, where she earned an M.A. degree in English in 1938. In that same year, she joined the faculty of the Department of English at University of Southwestern Louisiana (then Southwestern Louisiana Institute, now University of Louisiana at Lafayette). She received her Ph.D. in English in 1953 from Tulane University. The following year she was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, which allowed her a year of post-doctoral study and research in England.

From 1956 to 1974, during a time of rapid growth and expansion, Dr. Dichmann was Department Head of English at USL. Under her direction, the graduate programs for both M.A. and Ph.D. levels were planned and implemented. She was promoted to Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Behavioral Sciences in 1974. Dr. Dichmann continued to teach English courses while administering the largest college at USL, which included until the recent reconstructing, the School of Music, the School of Art and Architecture, and the Department of Theatre. As Dean, she worked closely with department heads and directors for the continuing improvement of the College’s courses of study and encouraged professional growth and achievement in individual faculty members. During this time, she also served as President of the Louisiana Council of Deans of Arts, Sciences, and Humanities. Upon her retirement from USL in 1983, the Mary E. Dichmann Scholarship was established to provide support each year for an entering freshman majoring in English. Also on this occasion, as a tribute to her significant contributions to the University, she was named Dean Emerita of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Behavioral Sciences.

During her years at USL, Dr. Dichmann was part of a variety of professional activities. She served on many university committees, playing an active role in the Conference of Louisiana Colleges and Universities. She also worked with the American Association of University Women (AAUW), where she influenced education for women all over. In 1952, she was selected to receive an AAUW Fellowship to assist her in doctoral studies. Throughout her life, she took an active part in the Lafayette Branch and the Louisiana Division of AAUW, holding the office of president for each.

Dr. Dichmann was well-known in the Lafayette community for her wide-ranging secular and religious activities. She served on the Mayor’s Blue Ribbon Committee for City Planning and the Commission on Women. She was a member of several boards of directors, including Hospice of Acadiana, Bayou Girl Scouts Council, Acadiana Arts Council, the Lafayette Little Theatre, and the Lafayette National History Museum and Planetarium. She was an active member of the Fine Arts Foundation, the League of Women Voters, and Zonta Service Club. She was frequently invited to speak to many civic groups. She was also a member of the Episcopal Church of the Ascension, where she became the first woman elected to serve on the Vestry. For many years, she was a member of the Advisory Board of the Episcopal Student Center and Ascension Day School.