Mara Pinckard was born on April 14, 1941 in Lawrence, Massachusetts, daughter of James Joseph and Mary Anderson Forrest. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology, University New Hampshire, 1963; Master of library Science, University of Arizona, 1975. Graduate research assistant, U. Hawaii, Honolulu, 1963-1964; research assistant, U. Edinburgh (Scotland) Medical School, 1964-1967; research assistant, Scripps Clinic & Research Foundation, LaJolla, California, 1967-1968; reformed library, science bibliographer, University Texas, San Antonio, 1977-1982; in 1982 she began her nearly two decade career as Head of Science Reference at the Noble Science and Engineering Library at ASU. She retired in 1999.