Marian McGinty
Marian McGinty understands what a gift music can be and treasures the time that she worked at Montclair State University, which is why she previously established one music scholarship and recently added a gift in her will to fund a second scholarship.
Marian has always been musical and has always loved to sing. But after bringing a number of roles to life while she was still in high school, she took some time off to look after her home and family. Fast forward 20 years. In 1980, at the age of 41, Marian decided to return to singing and became involved with a local community theater. She performed on community theater stages — both with and without her beloved husband Charles — until his death in 1992.
Not long after his passing, on a whim, she responded to an ad in the Montclair Times and became an usher for TheaterFest, the summer series that took place at Montclair State. Marian loved being a part of the theater community and was soon enlisting her friends to serve along with her as volunteer ushers for the family-friendly series. She continued to usher at the festival until 1999, when she was hired as the series’ group sales director, a job she held until 2003 when the series ended.
The McGintys performed together often.
She credits her success in the job to her husband, who retired as a vice president of sales for a textiles firm. “I had been married to a super salesman for 30 years,” she says. “I picked up a few tricks.”
Her time at TheaterFest cemented her affection and regard for Montclair State and in particular for the John J. Cali School of Music. “The job gave me a new lease on life,” she recalls.
So two years ago, on what would have been her husband’s 85th birthday, she thought that the perfect tribute to him would be to establish the Charles P. McGinty Memorial Scholarship, which is, fittingly, awarded to a male vocalist enrolled in Montclair State’s College of the Arts.
This year Marian decided that she should fund a second scholarship at Montclair State and has made provisions in her will for a scholarship to be established in her name, with this one to be given to a female vocalist.
“I’m hoping that this scholarship will be awarded to a woman who is returning to college, an older woman,” Marian says. “My time at Montclair State was like a new start for me. I would like it to be that for someone else.”