Dad just gave me the lastest ENC newsletter which contains Gwen Mann’s obituary. I remember her and her twin Genevieve coming to visit Grammie in the summertime when I was young.  Gwen had the nicest, biggest smile.  I was very intrigued by Gwen and Genevieve.

Gwen Mann

Photo courtesy of Muriel Baker (’70)

In Memory – Gwendolyn E. Mann, 1915-2006

Source: Eastern Nazarene College The Christian Scholar, Vol. 65, No. 2, Summer 2006, pg. 4

Gwendolyn Evangeline Mann, ENC associate professor emerita of education, died in Williston, VT, on April 27, 2006. She is survived by three siblings, her twin Genevieve C. Mann (36), Marguerite Nielson (44), and Roger Mann (35); two sisters-in-law, Muriel (Shrader, ’35) Mann and Katherine (Brown ’34) Mann; and many nieces and nephews, all dear to her heart.

Miss Mann graduated from Cambridge (VT) High School in 1932, attended Johnson (VT) Normal School, and then came to ENC. She returned to Vermont to teach in a one-room school and later taught kindergarten in Hingham for many years. She did graduate work at Boston University, earning her MEd degree in 1953.

She was an adjunct faculty member at ENC for five years before becoming a full-time assistant professor of elementary education in 1958. An esteemed faculty member and leader in the Education Department, she was tenured in 1975 and retired in 1980. She left her mark on many students through teaching, mentoring, and encouraging them in their studies and lives. She was a well-known and respected educator beyond ENC and an active member of her church, the college, and the faculty.

May 7, 1980, was Gwen Mann Day at ENC. The festivities in her honor included a special chapel and a picnic with the presentation of gifts and flowers, hosted by the Student National Education Association. A classroom in Gardner was named for her in recognition of 27 years of dedicated service to ENC on Heritage Day 1994, as part of a 1992 initiative by President Cecil Paul to highlight the importance of teaching.

She was recognized with an ENC Alumna of the Year award in 1991. The citation read, in part: “Gifted teacher, a tower of strength to her family, her students still say, ‘Miss Mann taught me,’ trusted Christian friend, she speaks not to a class but to a world.” Among those she taught was Muriel Baker (’70) who said, “Our aunt touched so many lives and was a true inspiration.”

Miss Mann returned to northern Vermont when she retired and continued to be active in her church and the community. Her funeral was at the Waterville (VT) Church of the Nazarene on May 1 and she was buried in the family lot in Mountain View Cemetery, Waterville.