Marian Solomon

Born: August 12, 1930

Died: December 31, 2015

Perpetuated In: Enduring Gifts: Mission Ministries and Endowment Fund

Date Perpetuated: 2016

Marian Grace Solomon was born in Austin, Minnesota, to Clarence and Helen (Drost) Loomer. She graduated from Austin High School in 1948 and from Hamline University with a degree in nursing in 1953. In 1953, Marian married Ted J. Solomon, a United Methodist minister and former professor of Religious Studies at Iowa State University and Drake University. Marian served as a nurse with the Gandhian Reconstruction Program in Sevagram, India, from 1953 to 1954, and “mothered” 300 orphaned children who were victims of the Partition of India.

Marian was a lifelong advocate of equal rights for women, and was active in NOW, Women’s Political Caucus and Planned Parenthood. Also, Marian was an activist during the civil rights movement in the South. As Secretary of a North Carolina NAACP chapter, she worked to improve conditions in Black schools and urged Blacks to participate in voter registration. She was among the first to bring Blacks to the segregated Methodist Church in Laurinburg, North Carolina. Marian worked briefly with A.D. King (MLK’s brother) during the sanitation crisis in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Marian has been a dedicated international peacemaker for several decades. She participated in Witness for Peace programs in Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Marian stood with her colleagues on the Honduras-Nicaraguan border to reduce the U.S. supported Contra Militia violence against non-combatants in Nicaragua. On three occasions, she was involved in reconciliations between Israelis and Palestinians. Marian was a member of the Christian Peacemakers team in Iraq 2002, protesting the U.S. embargo and trying to prevent a U.S. invasion. Marian received numerous awards for her humanitarian service.