Friendship, Admiration, Respect Lead to New Scholarship in Anthropology

WOOSTER, Ohio - Pam Frese will never forget her first encounter with Mariska Marker. It was 10 years ago at a seminar on heirlooms in the private dining hall of a retirement center reserved for retired officers of the U.S. military and their wives. Frese, a professor of anthropology at The College of Wooster, was collecting the oral histories of wives of retired military officers at the time.

"We were reflecting on the importance of reminiscing for senior citizens," remembers Frese. "Each of the women had brought an heirloom to discuss. Mariska shared the story of her grandmother's engagement gift from her grandfather, a South African diamond miner, with others at the seminar. Her grandfather had presented her grandmother with a bag of diamonds as an engagement gift. Mariska then revealed a beautiful diamond necklace made from some of those diamonds as an heirloom that held memories of her unique family. That was a perfect introduction into Mariska's exciting life stories. It was a moment I will always remember."

Marker took an immediate liking to Frese and The College of Wooster, in part because of its Scottish heritage (Marker is a descendant of a Scottish Clan). Several years ago, she donated a puppet collection, valued at more than $80,000, which is used for education and display in the department of theatre. Then, earlier this year, she announced the establishment of the Mariska P. Marker Scholarship Fund with a gift of $100,000 to recognize Frese's excellent teaching as well as her sincere interest in the welfare of her students.

"I am very honored by Mariska's generous gift, but the Mariska P. Marker Scholarship is really a celebration of her continuing quest for knowledge and of her love of learning," says Frese. "She is a true Renaissance woman. Mariska would have been very happy here as a student and would have been one of our most successful graduates."

The $5,000 scholarship will be presented annually to a junior anthropology major to cover a portion of that student's tuition in the senior year. Qualified candidates must maintain at least a 3.8 grade point average with preference given to students who plan to further pursue the study of anthropology, either professionally or in graduate school.

The scholarship will be awarded for the first time in 2007. When more than one candidate is qualified, financial need will be taken into consideration. If there is a year in which no students meet the criteria, the award will not be presented. A committee of faculty members in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Wooster will select the winner each year, but Frese already has a clear picture of the ideal candidate in her mind. "My hope is that we are able to choose someone like Mariska," she says. "Someone who is bright and thrives in an intellectual setting; someone with a never-ending thirst for knowledge."

Marker, a former journalist who wrote for the Kansas City Star, remains active in her pursuit of knowledge, even at the age of 86. "She's brilliant," says Frese.

As for the intrinsic value of Marker's generosity, Frese says it will benefit both the student and the department. "The scholarship will enrich our department while preparing the student to actively contribute to the field of anthropology," she says. "We are very grateful for Mariska and for her continued support of academic excellence at The College of Wooster. "