Marion Poller Meyer

Marion Poller Meyer

March 9, 1928 - Feb. 5, 2023

PORTLAND, OR - Retired University of Wisconsin Zoology professor, Marion Poller Meyer, aged 94, died peacefully of natural causes surrounded by family on February 5, 2023 in Portland, OR.

She spent her childhood in New Jersey, most of her adult life in Madison, WI, and then moved for the last ten years to Portland. She had a passion for the natural world, a dedication to excellence in teaching, and took joy in connecting with people of all cultures and backgrounds.

Marion Elizabeth Poller was born on March 9, 1928, in Montclair, NJ, one of two daughters of Elizabeth (Betty) and Rudolf (Rudy) Poller. Her father was an immigrant from Germany, with a sixth-grade education who managed a General Electric warehouse. Her mother's family, also originally from Germany, grew cut flowers, and one of their early family farms was located in the current northwest corner of New York City's Central Park. A beloved feature in Marion's upbringing was a forest and pond behind their home, where she and her sister Eleanor (Ellie) spent their days playing under the dogwoods among the wildflowers. This experience, along with her father's dedication to raising pheasants, gave her a profound connection with the natural world. Later, in the backyard of their University Heights home in Madison, she recreated the forest and pond environment of her childhood. She shared her excitement for the out-of-doors with young people as both a Girl Scout Leader and as an instructor for the UW Arboretum Summer Day Camp.

Marion graduated from West Orange High School (NJ) and due in a large part to her father's encouragement, was the first in her extended family to attend college. He took her to New York City for a college aptitude test that identified Kalamazoo College in Michigan as a good match. Marion graduated from Kalamazoo with a double major in Biology and Chemistry. Although initially a career in academia was not one she had considered, at the behest of a favorite Kalamazoo professor, Marion applied to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She was accepted with a research assistantship in Zoology and completed her Masters of Science in one year, about half the usual time.

In Madison she met her husband, Robert (Bob) Meyer, on a blind date, and they married in 1951. In the midst of having five children, she completed her Ph.D. and post-doc in comparative physiology on mammal hibernation while Bob became a professor in geophysics. In 1967, she was hired as a lecturer in the UW Zoology Department and focused on her true calling - teaching. She taught Comparative Physiology, as well as developed the organismal biology section of the Biocore Program, an accelerated biology sequence for pre-medical students and Biology majors. She chaired Organismal Biology from 1970 to 1994, and in 1983, Marion was promoted to Associate Professor and became the first female tenured faculty member of the Department of Zoology, gaining full professorship in 1991.

An effective teacher, Marion's curiosity and enthusiasm was contagious. She was particularly devoted to experiential education and the development of student laboratory experiences, where she facilitated the hands-on activity of science, i.e., making and testing hypotheses. She touched thousands of students' lives over her 33 years of teaching. With Zoology colleague Jean Heitz, she produced the manuscript, A Teacher's Job is to Become Obsolete. In her last three years at the UW, she served as a director for, and taught in, the College of Letters and Science Honors Program. Retiring in 1996, she continued to teach the course, Teaching College Biology, until 2000. In 2013, Marion was honored with a lifetime achievement award from Kalamazoo College.

Marion's spirit of adventure and love of people and cultures drew her to travel to every continent except the Antarctic. In summer, she assisted Bob with geophysics research around the world; their joint sabbaticals were in Naples Italy where she examined octopus intelligence. Marion believed that everyone should go to Egypt at least once in their life and over Bob's objections, she went off with a group of students from England to fulfill that mission for herself. While in her 70's and 80's, and after Bob's passing, she visited Papua New Guinea to help a friend with bird research, and sailed on a Catamaran in the Galapagos with family and friends. Beginning in 2002, she spent eight enjoyable years partnered with Ray Brown, a UW colleague and fellow Unitarian, and together they continued exploring the world, from observing polar bear behavior on Hudson Bay to cruising Tahiti.

Outside the university, Marion had an active home and community life. She welcomed students, friends, formal and informal foster children, house guests and visiting international scientists to their historic Queen Anne home (built in 1894) in Madison's University Heights. Director of Religious Education at the First Unitarian Society, she taught 4th grade Sunday school there. Later she developed curriculum and trained tour guides for their landmark Frank Lloyd Wright Unitarian Meeting House. Additionally, she was on the Board of Directors for the Regent Market Coop during their transition from private ownership to a member-owned neighborhood grocery store.

After a stroke, in 2013, Marion moved to the Rose Villa Senior Living Community in Portland to be near her daughters on the West Coast. She had been a scientific illustrator in college and wanted to paint watercolors in retirement. She enjoyed painting with the Rose Villa program, Opening Minds Through Art, and her scientific curiosity instigated many Rose Villa activities. During this time, she continued lifelong relationships and formed meaningful new friendships. Marion will be remembered for her infectious enthusiasm for learning that inspired so many to appreciate the wonders and workings of the natural world, and for her welcoming, loving spirit.

Marion was preceded in death by sister, Eleanor P. Healey (Poller) in 2012; son, Hans M. Meyer in 1989; husband, Robert P. Meyer UW professor of Geophysics in 1997; and after Bob's death, partner, Raymond R. Brown UW professor of Human Oncology and Nutrition in 2010. Marion is survived by her four children: Martha Rosemeyer (Mario Gadea-Rivas) of Olympia, WA, Betsy Meyer (Ernie Polo) of Mountain View, CA, Rob Meyer (Ella McLeester) of Madison, WI, and Dewey Meyer of Portland, OR; as well as by Ray Brown's three children: Jeff (Kristen) Brown of Chippewa Falls WI, Laura Brown (Mark Shahan) of Madison WI, and Doug Brown of Madison WI.

For more stories about Marion and to share memories and photos on-line, see Threadgill's Memorial Services website (threadgillmemorial.com).

Marion's Celebration of Life will be at 3:00 p.m. August 27, 2023, at Holy Wisdom Monastery in Middleton, WI.

In lieu of flowers, Marion would prefer donations to Nature Conservancy or Planned Parenthood.