Marjorie Cowley

1925 - 2016

July 8, 1925 - December 31, 2016 Marjorie (Midge) Cowley died on December 31, 2016, at 91 years old. A graduate of Stanford University, she later trained at the Fowler Museum of Cultural History at UCLA, and then taught prehistoric archaeology for twenty years to students from first grade through high school. In this capacity, she was designated a professional expert by the Los Angeles Unified School District. Her gripping coming-of-age books for middle school age readers, Dar and the Spear-Thrower (1994), Anooka's Answer (1998), The Golden Bull (2008) and Wind on the Water (2016), grew out of this teaching experience and her lifelong interest in the vast span of our ancient past. The Golden Bull was included in Bank Street College of Education's 2009 Guide to the Best Children's Books of the Year. Midge traveled widely, pursuing her fascination with primitive and ancient art, architecture, and nature. She was a gifted graphic designer and calligrapher for many years before she began her writing career, and volunteered at the UCLA International Student Center. She was married to Charles Simmon Stein, Jr., M.D. until his death in 1969, and to the screenwriter, William Marion Cowley, III, until 1995. Midge was exceptionally well-read and politically passionate. She was a master conversationalist with a wonderful sense of humor, great empathy, and deep interest in the people around her. She is survived and greatly missed by her three children and their spouses: Allison & Jason, Ross & Sharon, and Loren & Hal; her five grandchildren and their partners: Adam & Rachel, Max & Phebe, Monica & Evan, Elena & Jake, and Keira; and her friend and amazing caregiver Jing. Donations may be made in her memory at her favorite charities, Doctors Without Borders and the Environmental Defense Fund.