Marilynn J. Smiley, PhD Contributes to the Arts in Oswego

    OSWEGO, NY, November 07, 2022 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marilynn J. Smiley, PhD has been included in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

Motivated by her tremendous love of music, Marilynn J. Smiley, PhD has dedicated more than 60 years to advancing the field, as well as her students.

Equipped with natural skills and a passion for music, she began playing the piano at the age of seven and the flute at 12. Further inspired by many teachers, she played her instruments through high school and went on to pursue higher education at Ball State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in 1954. From there, she commenced her role as a public school music teacher in Logansport, Indiana for seven years through 1961. While working, she also obtained a Master of Music from Northwestern University in 1958, a certification from Ecoles d'Art Americaines in Fontainebleau, France in 1959 and later a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Illinois in 1970.

Following her time in the public school system, Dr. Smiley advanced to become a faculty member in the music department at the State University of New York at Oswego. Citing the opportunity as a perfect match for her abilities as an educator, she would excel at the institution for the remainder of her career, serving as chairman of the music department from 1976 to 1981 and as a distinguished teaching professor from 1974 until 2014, which she considers a crowning achievement. During these years, her areas of expertise included ancient and medieval music, renaissance music, American music, women in music, and Beethoven, among many others. Following her retirement, Dr. Smiley has since been honored as professor emerita by the university.

Alongside her myriad primary responsibilities, Dr. Smiley has taken great pride in lending her knowledge and skills to numerous organizations, from education and research-based groups to those that champion the arts. Today, she continues to serve on the board of directors for the Oswego Opera Theater and as diversity chairperson of the Oswego Branch of the American Association of University Women, of which she recently served as president from 2007 to 2021. She has also been a member of the Oswego County Historical Society, the H. Lee Maritime Museum, Safe Haven and Friends of Fort Ontario. Additionally, she was an honorary fellow for the State University of New York Research Foundation in 1971, 1972, and 1974.

To remain abreast of her industry, Dr. Smiley has held leadership titles and has been affiliated with such organizations as the Society for American Music, the American Musicological Society, the National Organization for Women, the American Recorder Society, the Renaissance Society of America, the College Music Society, the Music Library Association and the Medieval Academy of America.

A co-editor of the book "Remarkable Women in New York State History," which was published in 2013, Dr. Smiley is an active contributor to articles about Renaissance and American music, and other related subjects, for professional journals. Notably, throughout her career, she has been a grantee of the National Endowment of the Humanities and the American Association of University Women, as well as a State University of New York Research Foundation Honorary Fellow.

Upon reflection, Dr. Smiley considers her greatest achievement to be the rewarding impact she has been able to have on several generations of students. She recalls watching the progress of her students and recalls, "they would go in with a limited background and come out as professionals."

Moving forward, Dr. Smiley looks forward to commencing the production of the operetta "The Golden Cage" with the Oswego Opera Theater. She recently conducted expansive research and found, through the National Archives in Washington, D.C., the musical score and texts of 1,000 refugees from the Holocaust who immigrated to the Fort Ontario Emergency Refugee Shelter in Oswego between 1944 and 1946. The theater was presented with a $25,000 grant from the New York State Council on the Arts to create a production of this historical story to be presented in November 2022.

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Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® now publishes many Who's Who titles, including Who's Who in America®, Who's Who in the World®, Who's Who in American Law®, Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare®, Who's Who in Science and Engineering®, and Who's Who in Asia®. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.

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