Mary Narges Honored As UW FDL Distinguished Alumni Award Winner

Free Spirit Riders co-founder Mary Narges was honored posthumously with the UW Fond du Lac Distinguished Alumni Award. Her family accepted the award on her behalf at the UW-Fond du Lac Foundation’s annual donor and scholarship reception on September 27th. Narges was a non-traditional student who attended the school from 1980 to 1984. Foundation Executive Director Rhonda Stucky says Mary left behind quite a legacy for the community. She also was a social worker and started the Compassionate Friends, an organization for grieving parents who have lost children. Mary’s children, Gina Marchionda-Schneider and Rocco Marchionda, shared memories of their mother’s years at UW-Fond du Lac while they were children and often accompanied her to classes. Stucky says Gina talked about hanging out with her Mom while Mary was a student worker in the Library. The reception was also a time to celebrate the $45,000 in scholarships the Foundation awarded to 47 students over the past year. 

UW-Fond du Lac Regional Associate Dean of Administration and Finance, Bethany Rusch (right) recently presented the university’s posthumous 2017 Distinguished Alumni Award to the family of Mary Narges (left to right), her children, Rocco Marchionda and Gina Marchionda-Schneider, and her husband, Chuck Narges. Narges attended UW-Fond du Lac from 1980 through 1984. She was honored at the UW-Fond du Lac Foundation’s annual donor and scholarship reception held on Sept. 27 in the University Center Commons. This is the 14th year the award has been presented.