Santa Fe Living Treasures – Elder Stories

Marjorie and Henry and their family moved to Santa Fe in 1953, when he got a job as a photographer for the Atomic Energy Commission. After he died of a heart attack in 1959, Marjorie supported her two boys by teaching in the public schools. While carrying a full-time workload, she also made time year after year for organizations that help developmentally disabled people.

She has served on the boards of Santa Maria el Mirador, New Vistas, and Northern New Mexico Services for the Disabled. She has also been a tireless volunteer at St. Elizabeth Shelter in Santa Fe. Among other tasks, she has been Layette Chairman of the Daughters of the King, making sure that basic layettes were provided for newborn babies of the homeless and needy. In her church she has also been the record keeper of the Holy Faith Guild Bazaar.

Marjorie’s friends say: "She is modest, unassuming, and never toots her own horn." "She stays in the background but is always there." "She’s a worker—reliable and on time, and she has made a difference in this community since 1953." And: "Her story touches the heart, but you'll never hear it from her."

Story by Richard McCord
Photo ©2004 by Steve Northrup