For Marcella “Marcy” Mandello Woodworth, language was never just an academic pursuit; it was a defining thread woven through her life. Her husband, Archie, recalls her deep connection to St. Mary’s Schools in Annapolis. “She was very strong in her feelings for St. Mary’s,” he said. “She felt she got a really good education there and was very well prepared.” It was there that her passion for the French language took root, eventually becoming her major in college. Archie remembers how exceptional her mastery was. “We went to France for a honeymoon,” he says, “and I was impressed with her ability to speak the language fluently. We met many people over the years that had degrees in French, but they really could not speak it as well as she could.”
But French was only the beginning. Marcy obtained a master’s degree in Hispanic Studies and, later, another in International Management. She studied Spanish while the couple lived in Oregon, expanding her linguistic acumen even as Archie’s career led them across the country. She taught French and Spanish when they lived in Seattle, and, later, English as a second language to young adults. Her belief in the value of multilingualism was unwavering. As Archie put it, “She was very positive about multilingualism and felt that we did not give it enough emphasis in the U.S.”
Marcy’s multicultural worldview was also shaped by her and Archie’s shared international experiences. Archie served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ghana in the 1960s, and their lives were filled with travel, cross-cultural encounters, and work that brought them into contact with many different languages and cultures. “We worked in Europe a lot,” he explains. “You travel a few miles and the next thing you know, you’re in a different culture and speaking a different language.”
Marcy’s lifelong commitment to language and cultural understanding inspired Archie to establish a tuition assistance endowment in the CCF in her name benefitting St. Mary’s Schools students. Its purpose true to her spirit: to support students who are bilingual or who are studying a foreign language.
Arche’s hope is that Marcy’s legacy will live on quietly but meaningfully, giving future students the opportunity to discover the same doors that the study of languages opened for her. “This is a chance to put her name on something that’s going to carry on her life and what she did,” he reflected.
After 55 years together, Archie speaks of Marcy with gratitude and unmistakable affection. “She made my life worthwhile,” he said. Through the students who will benefit from this endowment, Marcy Mandello Woordworth’s love of language, and of the world, will continue to inspire others just as she inspired Archie.
