Virtually all students hold a special part in our hearts as professors at Drury. But, every once and a while a student comes to campus and leaves a permanent mark on the professors, the University and fellow students. Marcia Cooper was just such a student.
Marcia’s Story:
I’m sure Marcia’s story will touch your heart as it did mine. As you may know, at the age of 51 she was the first in her family to attend college. For the next 5 years she juggled the responsibilities of full-time work, wife, mother and grandmother with her classroom obligations. Even with these demands, Marcia excelled in the classroom. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Evangel in 2005, and graduated Summa Cum Laude. Marcia began working for her MBA in August of 2005. She brought real world savvy and experience into the classroom. She served as a member of the Graduate Student Advisory Board but it was toward the end of April 2007 that Marcia faced her biggest challenge. She was diagnosed with a rare and extremely aggressive cancer. Before our eyes, this vibrant woman wasted away. Coupled with this health crisis, she was hit with the financial crisis of the announced closure of the plant (Northrop Grumman) she had worked at for more than 30 years.
As her health deteriorated, her professors and fellow students rallied to help her. During her illness, Marcia was consumed with a need to finish her MBA. During the spring semester of 2007, her professors made arrangements to for her to complete her courses since she was unable to sit for her finals. Her classmates bought her an IPOD so she would listen to music during her chemotherapy treatments. The Breech School of Business made arrangements to waive her tuition for her final course requirement, and I met with her at her house and later in the hospital to complete her last requirement as an independent study. Everything was in place to help her finish this personal milestone.
On July 4, she was hospitalized and it was clear that her condition was dire. On July 13, 2007, with four generations of her family present, a group of Drury faculty, staff, and students helped to celebrate Marcia’s achievement in a bedside graduation ceremony. Shortly after the last guest left, Marcia passed away.
Her legacy:
Marcia overcame personal, professional, financial, and health related hardships throughout her life and is an inspiring role model. Her loss was devastating to many of us. To honor her memory, a scholarship commending her commitment to education, her love for family and her strength of character has been established by the University at the direction of President Todd Parnell. This scholarship will help other non-traditional females wanting to better their situation through earning a college degree.
I would like to personally ask you to join me in participating in this tribute to Marcia and help provide educational opportunities for working women with limited financial resources. Every dollar helps to grow this scholarship, thus honoring Marcia’s memory for decades to come. This scholarship will open the door to a college education, which is especially important in a tumultuous economy.
It was my great pleasure to get to know Marcia and be a part of her education here at Drury. Her story is a prime example of the care and attention we pay to our students, and the seamless way we can work together across areas to make a difference in the lives of our students, their families, and the greater community. We are all a part of her legacy—the personal attention, dedication, and sacrifices we make for our students was a strong motive behind Marcia attending Drury. I hope you will join me in support of Marcia’s memory and her commitment to education by donating to her memorial scholarship.
Sincerely,
Amy C. Lewis
Assistant Professor of Business Administration
To send a check, please mail it to the following address:
Drury University
Office of Alumni & Development
Attn: Dapne Massa
900 N. Benton
Springfield, MO. 65802
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