Professor enjoyed camping, helping others
COLUMBIA — Marilyn Elizabeth Maddux, a former MU School of Social Work faculty member, loved to go camping out west with family and friends, often in Wyoming or Utah, where she enjoyed the scenery and learning about Native American cultures.
She and her friends made unplanned visits to interesting areas, often in her beloved Ford Bronco SUV. Her dog, Albert, was a frequent companion on camping trips.
Longtime friend Joye Patterson, who often camped with Ms. Maddux, said Ms. Maddux was good at fishing.
“We would often catch enough trout to have dinner,” Patterson said.
Ms. Maddux died Friday, Nov. 12, 2010, in Moberly. She was 81.
She was born Jan. 29, 1929, in St. Louis to William and Margaret (Porterfield) Maddux. The family later moved to Springfield.
She attended Lindenwood College (now Lindenwood University), where she received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and psychology, and Washington University, where she received a master’s degree in social work.
Ms. Maddux worked as a medical social worker at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis before moving to Columbia to continue her career at University Hospital. She joined the faculty of the School of Social Work at the University of Missouri in 1965 and was appointed assistant professor in 1966 before being promoted to associate professor in 1973. She served as the school’s coordinator of field instruction for 15 years.
She taught both graduate and undergraduate courses, and many students kept in touch or would go back to talk to her, Patterson said. She retired as a professor emeritus in 1988.
Ms. Maddux also traveled to the Oregon coast with her sister every summer for approximately 18 years and enjoyed the ocean very much.
She loved classical music and read extensively in subjects ranging from religion to science.
“She was really an intellectual,” Priss Maddux, her sister, said.
Ms. Maddux was devoted to helping others. She spent years volunteering at the Ellis Fischel Cancer Center and University Hospital.
“She was the kind of person who could help people, talk to them about their problems,” Patterson said. “She’s going to be missed by a lot of people.”
Ms. Maddux is survived by her sister, Priss Maddux of Little Rock, Ark.; and three nephews, Paul Bell of Columbia, Jack Bell of Little Rock, Ark., and Jae Bell of Chehalis, Wash.
A service celebrating Ms. Maddux’s life will take place at 2 p.m. Saturday, her birthday, at Olivet Christian Church, 1991 S. Olivet Road in Columbia, with the Rev. Dennis Swearngin officiating.
Memorial gifts may be sent to the Marilyn Maddux Enhancement Fund, c/o Claudia Jones-Lewis, MU School of Social Work, 726 Clark Hall, Columbia, MO 65211.
