Longtime educator’s memory lives on in new scholarship

During trips to see her son in Beijing in the early 2000s, Mary Jane Cooper learned of the critical need for education for migrant children.  

Mary Jane, a 1995 Delta retiree, wanted to help. So, she did.

“A lack of education for these children was a well-known problem at the time,” said Chris Cooper, her oldest son. While Chris and his family were living in Beijing, he reached out to a few folks.

“Within a short period of time, my mom was placed teaching kids at one of the migrant centers,” he said. 

In between trips, she gathered materials for the next visit. From notepads and stickers to pencils and candy, she would return with a suitcase full of things for the children. 

“That was one of the happiest times I’ve seen her. She loved interacting with kids,” said Chris. 

Jumping in to help people in times of need was characteristic of Mary Jane. 

The longtime Bay City resident passed away in 2020 at age 83. She joined Delta in 1979 as an adjunct instructor and soon became a full-time learning specialist for the Teaching and Learning Center (TLC). She was promoted to assistant director in 1985 and retired as director of the center in 1995. 

Mary Jane was instrumental in expanding the TLC, which opened in 1975. The center is an essential part of Delta. It supports students’ development into successful, lifelong learners through free services.

Today, more than 3,500 students visit the center every year. 

Danielle Petersen, manager of the TLC, said one of the things she found most inspiring about Mary Jane was that she was a Pioneer in the truest sense. 

“Her lifelong commitment to education resulted in innovative, engaging and diverse programming of a department which is now clearly part of the institutional core at Delta,” Petersen said. “What greater legacy exists than impacting future generations through education?”

Among the innovative practices Mary Jane introduced to the TLC, said Elizabeth Dewey, a Delta retiree who worked closely with Mary Jane, were hiring student tutors, developing a peer mentor program and adopting computers for record-keeping and tutorial support.

“As a supervisor, she was a mentor who would give staff members responsibilities and the tools and training to carry them out. She was much beloved and admired,” said Dewey. 

The Mary Jane Cooper Scholarship Endowment

In November, Mary Jane’s sons – Chris, Kevin and Karl – established a scholarship endowment in honor of their mother and their parents’ unwavering commitment to education. Their father, Carl, was a school teacher for many years.

“One of the principles my parents taught my brothers and me is to give back to the community from which you came,” Chris said. “Education was incredibly important to them and we’re glad to be giving back in this way.” 

“I remember she would drop us off at the Commons, where we would buy an ice cream bar and hang out in the lounge while she taught class,” said Chris, who also attended Delta. “Delta was very important to my mother, and it was always part of our lives.”

The Mary Jane Cooper Scholarship Endowment will support part- and full-time students who reside in Bay, Midland and Saginaw counties. The scholarship will also support projects and resources at the Teaching and Learning Center.