Meet Mary McFarlane, a Wyandotte Roosevelt Distinguished Graduate

Three Downriver residents recently were inducted into the Distinguished Graduate Hall of Fame.

The 2012 inductees are , and . The three were honored during a March 26 ceremony at the school.

The hall of fame celebrates the accomplishments of those who graduated from Roosevelt at least 10 years ago and who have showed exemplary contributions to society. In order to be considered, candidates must have made contributions to either their chosen profession or to the community, whether that be Wyandotte or the community in which they now live.

A steering committee at Roosevelt chooses the honorees each year.

Here we introduce Mary (Serowik) McFarlane:

McFarlane is a longtime educator and most recently, the retired principal of Roosevelt, where she graduated from in 1966. She went on to earn her Bachelor and Education Specialist Degrees from Wayne State University and her Masters Degree from Nova University.

She taught at Walled Lake Western High School; Basic High School in Henderson, NV; and Exeter High School in Exeter, NH; before returning to Wyandotte. She became assistant principal of Roosevelt in 1990 and served as principal from 1994 to 2010. 

McFarlane was either a chair or co-chair of five millage and bond campaigns for . She also chaired the millage campaign. She has been an active member of the through which she spearheaded the Roosevelt High School Walk of Honor. The foundation contributes thousands of dollars of scholarships to deserving Roosevelt students every year.

Under McFarlane's leadership as principal, Roosevelt staffers received two national teaching awards and 14 state or county teaching awards, as well as local recognition for innovation and commitment to excellence. Roosevelt earned state and national recognition for successfully implementing the rigorous requirements of the Michigan Merit Curriculum. In 2006, TIME magazine wrote a story about the accomplishment entitled, "Building a New Student in Michigan."

McFarlane, along with then-school Superintendent Patricia Cole and mathematics teacher Joanna Secco, spoke before the Michigan State Board of Education and the House and Senate Education Committees. In 2010, then-Gov. Jennifer Granholm visited Roosevelt to acknowledge the success of Wyandotte students who met the new demands of the Michigan Merit Curriculum.

McFarlane has been a member of the Committee on the Larger Secondary Schools through the National Association of Secondary School Principals and served on the Board of Directors of the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals. She has presented at a number of conferences, including the Michigan State University's Aspiring Administrators Conference.

McFarlane has received the American Association of University Women Woman of the Year award, the G. Harold Martin Fellow through Kiwanis and the Wayne County Administrator of the Year award. She also was a finalist for Administrator of the Year from the Michigan Science Teachers Association.

"Mary McFarlane contributed to the improvement and success of Roosevelt High School, Wyandotte Public Schools and the Wyandotte community with her influence being felt throughout the state," committee members said in honoring her.

McFarlane lives in Wyandotte with her husband, Hugh, and enjoys spending time with her two daughters and sons-in-law, Lisa and George Mawle and Anne and Craig Petitpren.

READ ABOUT THE OTHER HONOREES: