Wishing to have a positive impact on the lives of young children, Marilyn Mau Olson (BS 1960 Early Childhood Development) studied early childhood education and started her career teaching kindergarten in Madison and Evanston, Illinois. When she and her husband Robert (BSME 1960; MBA 1961) moved to Green Bay, Marilyn remained active in early education, serving on the board of directors of her children’s preschool and managing the children’s library at her church. Returning to work full time in 1980, Marilyn worked as director of Mayflower Nursery School for 15 years. She was an active member of a professional association of Green Bay preschool directors, assuming a leadership role on several occasions.
When visiting the Preschool Lab in 2014, Marilyn was thrilled to once again engage children through reading, play, and music. “I’ll never forget that visit. Afterwards, Bob surprised me by honoring me in a special way.” Marilyn is delighted her 100 Women recognition resulted in SoHE’s first fully endowed graduate fellowship, supporting research in child development and family well-being.