Remembering a coach, teacher and mentor
George W. Hobbs, B. ’62 (Health and Physical Education), died March 12, 2015. A coach, teacher and mentor, Hobbs was dedicated to wrestling throughout his life. He was inducted into the State of Michigan Wrestling Hall of Fame and was a lifelong member of the Varsity ‘S’ Club at Michigan State.
While at MSU on a wrestling scholarship, Hobbs finished second place three times in the Big Ten and fifth place once in the NCAA for his weight class.
After some years teaching and coaching at North Farmington High School in the Detroit area, Hobbs was hired as the head golf coach and assistant wrestling coach at Western Michigan University in 1965. He became the head wrestling coach in 1969. He was also a professor in the Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation at WMU and enjoyed more than 35 years serving as a teacher and mentor to others.
Lasting Legacy for a Long-Time Donor
Marilyn H. Cochran, M.A. ’68 (Reading Instruction), died Aug. 16, 2014. She was a long-time annual donor to the College of Education, alongside her husband Bill, and was invested in student success. She was a reading specialist in Okemos Public Schools for many years and an active volunteer for many organizations.
As part of her estate, Marilyn provided an extraordinarily generous gift of $1.5 million to the Teacher Preparation Scholarship Fund. She was concerned about the rising costs of higher education, and hoped that this gift would help offset tuition costs to future Spartan educators.
The Teacher Preparation Scholarship Fund helps provide support for elementary and secondary education students, and post-baccalaureate students.
To see the full list of College of Education alumni deceased from July 2014-June 2015, see the print issue.