Ohio State Marion's collaboration with local club wins excellence award
Ohio State Marion Associate Professor of History Margaret Sumner and the Marion Women's Club & Home have been recognized for their efforts with a 2025 Programs of Excellence in Engaged Scholarship award from The Ohio State University Office of Outreach and Engagement in Academic Affairs.
The certification process aims to identify and certify projects annually that demonstrate excellence in community-engaged scholarship, according to an announcement.
"Our partnership with Margaret and Ohio State Marion students is a win-win for everyone," said Valerie Wigton, president of the Marion Women's Club & Home. "It's empowering for students as it provides an opportunity to discover real-life experiences of local club women who literally helped 'build' our community."
Sumner has taught a course on the history of American women's civic activism for several years in partnership with the club, according to John Maharry, acting dean and director of Ohio State Marion. Each spring, students explore the club's extensive records and discover stories about the many ways members have supported Marion since 1895.
'In fact, Margaret has been instrumental in developing the carriage house behind the home into a Women's History Resource Center that will have its grand opening this fall,' Maharry said. 'Just last week, the club raised $13,700 specifically for furnishings in the new Women's History Resource Center, which will house the Club's archives, believed to be one of the most comprehensive sets of historical records of any women's club in the United States.'
The collaboration between Ohio State Marion and the Marion Women's Club & Home has been ongoing for several years, with students gaining valuable insights into the influence of local women on various aspects of society, from healthcare and social welfare to education and literacy.
'We believe it will empower and inspire them as future leaders,' Wigton said.
Ohio State Marion graduate Keily Cunningham, who went on to obtain her master's degree in library and information science, now serves as the club's part-time archivist.
"We are honored to have been chosen as a Program of Excellence by Ohio State," Wigton said. "We have been working hard over the last 10 years to rebuild our club, and Professor Sumner, now on our board of directors, has been a huge part of that effort. Collaborating with community partners is a win-win for everyone involved."
This story was created by Jane Imbody, jimbody@gannett.com, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct or share your thoughts at http://bit.ly/3RapUkA with our News Automation and AI team.
This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Ohio State Marion, Women's Club earn excellence award
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So, not something I ever thought would happen, but it's amazing what'll happen when you love someone enough, when you're willing to fight for what you know is right, and when you're angry. Zach Wichter: And you mentioned before you were also in DC the day the decision came down. What was that experience like, and what were you thinking about, and what would you have said to John if he was there with you? Jim Obergefell: I'm just holding the hands of friends sitting on either side of me thinking, all right, here it comes, here it comes. And of course I'm thinking, John, I wish you were here, I wish you could experience this, I wish it was your hand I was holding. All I wanted in that moment was to hug and kiss John and say, "Our marriage can never be erased." He wasn't there. I didn't have that joy of sharing that moment with him. I thought about so many people who I had met over the course of the case, the people who were coming up to me and sharing photos and telling me stories and talking about what this potential decision meant to them and what it meant to the person they loved, their child, was thinking about them. And then just the unexpected realization that for the first time in my life as an out gay man, I actually felt like an equal American. I wasn't expecting to feel that. And that was a really beautiful realization. I feel equal. It's about queer kids having a future, knowing that in the words of a mom and dad who stopped me on the street in Philadelphia with their child in a stroller, they said, "Thanks to you and those other plaintiffs, Jim, we know our kid can one day marry the person they love, no matter whom that person is." That's what I think about. So, I don't get too hung up in the "you're a historic figure" because that just, I don't know, feels weird to me. I focus more on the difference the fight I was part of has made for millions of people. Hundreds of thousands of couples have gotten married since June 26th, 2015. And that's something we should celebrate. I'm really, really grateful that I got to be part of that. And it's simply because John and I loved each other and we wanted to exist. Zach Wichter: Jim, thanks for coming on The Excerpt. Jim Obergefell: Thanks for having me. It was great. Zach Wichter: Thanks to our senior producers, Shannon Rae Green and Kaely Monahan for their production assistance. Our executive producer is Laura Beatty. Let us know what you think of this episode by sending a note to podcasts@ Thanks for listening. I'm Zach Wichter. Taylor Wilson will be back tomorrow morning with another episode of The Excerpt.
