It was with special pride on November 19th that I applauded my wife, Marnie Wildenthal, as she received the Dallas Historical Society’s 2015 “Award for Excellence” in Education. She was cited particularly for her leadership roles (including being past president and an active volunteer teacher) at VMLC–an outstanding organization that teaches English as a second language to thousands of immigrants, enabling them to find employment and to assist their children with their schoolwork.

Marnie also has held board leadership positions with Uplift Education, the Dallas County Community College District, Highland Park ISD Foundation, TACA, Dallas Opera, and Charter 100, while simultaneously serving as a popular middle-school teacher for 30 years at the Episcopal School of Dallas.  Her work has previously been recognized with the Virginia Chandler Dyke Leadership Award from Texas Woman’s University, the Spirit of Generations Award from Senior Source, the Juanita and Henry Miller Founders’ Award from the Dallas Opera, the Literary Legacy Award from VMLC, and the Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award from the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce.

Through her devotion to education as the most important means to help others succeed in life, Marnie constantly motivates her students, colleagues and friends, while serving as an exceptional role model for them.

Marnie and I are very grateful to the Dallas Historical Society for the extraordinary honor it has conferred on her.  We are also especially pleased that the Society’s 2015 honorees in various other areas include several individuals whom we count as much-admired friends, including:  Robert Haley, a physician-scientist and faculty member at UT Southwestern who solved the mystery of Gulf War Syndrome (Health, Science, and Medicine); Jerry Ford (Philanthropy); Vikki Martin (Volunteer Community Leadership); Bill Booziotis (Creative Arts); Richard Eiseman (Business); Gigi Antoni (Arts Leadership); and Matrice and Ron Kirk (Jubilee History Makers).

I extend my sincere congratulations to all of these exceptional individuals–and particularly to Marnie, who is a much-loved and unwavering inspiration to our daughters and their husbands, to our grandchildren, and especially to me.