Marilyn Wolter Laboe ’61 Receives Humanitas Award

June 6, 2016 (Notre Dame, Ind.)—The Humanitas Award, awarded annually by the Alumnae Association of Saint Mary’s College of Notre Dame, IN, recognizes an alumna of the Catholic liberal arts women’s college who is outstanding in her personal and volunteer accomplishments and is recognized for her concern for the interests and welfare of her fellow human beings. Her actions exemplify the qualities of personal dedication, compassion, selflessness, and sacrifice through social action, education, and reform within the community, the Church, and the world.

This year’s recipient is Marilyn Wolter Laboe ’61 of Monroe, MI for her service in Catholic education that touched the lives of countless students and families, including her own. The award was announced Saturday, June 4, at the Reunion Banquet held on campus.

For 20 years Laboe worked as the School Office Associate and Attendance Secretary at St. Mary Catholic Central High School in Monroe providing support to students as well as the school’s principal and administration. Her two decades of work at the high school stand as a testament to her dedication to the values of the College and the importance of compassion. Sean Jorgensen, the school’s president, shared in a letter supporting her nomination that Marilyn “was a surrogate mother, a nurse, a counselor, a trusted advisor, and sometimes a shoulder to cry on. She was, quite simply, the face of Christ for others in their times of need at our school.”

According to her award citation, Laboe has also invested greatly in her community outside of the high school. She has delivered Meals on Wheels to the elderly, served on the Habitat for Humanity Women’s Leadership Initiative, St. Mary Catholic Central High School Auction Committee, St. Mary Catholic Central High School Board, and numerous other committees for her parish and diocese. Her extensive involvement in her church and local community has made her a well-loved and respected figure.

As a mother of nine children, one who became a priest, Laboe led her children to a deep love of the Catholic faith by living out what she sought to instill in their lives. Together they prayed the rosary every day during Lent and served those in need. For the past 13 years, she has supported her husband during his annual mission trips to provide dental care for the islanders of St. Lucia. Her commitment to her family alone is remarkable, as noted by Renee Laboe Howard ’89, who described her mother in her nomination letter as a “selfless, prayerful, and dependable home economics major…who should have been titled ‘domestic engineer’ and given a cape for her superhuman feats of organization, planning, and execution of family life, schedules, and committees.

In addition to her duties as a mother, Laboe remained a faithful advocate of and for Saint Mary’s College. She served on the Alumnae Association Board of Directors for six years and worked as Chair of her 50^th Class Reunion Program Committee. Through her mentorship and recruitment efforts in her community, Laboe has helped to bring over 40 young women to Saint Mary’s College and inspired many others to look into the College.

Laboe’s daughter Anne Marie Laboe ’90 wrote in her nomination, “being a graduate myself of Saint Mary’s College, I frequently read about alumnae doing incredible, newsworthy work, and achieving great accomplishments. My mother has done no less in her quiet, faith-filled life. In fact I believe she is an incredible role model for Saint Mary’s College women, showing that an ordinary life can be extraordinary through constant faith, compassion, generosity, and service.”

About Saint Mary's College: Celebrating over 175 years of empowering women to make a difference in the world, Saint Mary’s College is recognized as a pioneer and continued force in the education of women. A Catholic, liberal arts institution in Notre Dame, Indiana, the College offers more than 50 undergraduate academic programs and also offers co-educational master’s degrees.