Marie Saunders Gaylord

Graveside services for Marie Saunders Gaylord, 84, of Temple will be held at 10:00 A.M. Monday at Bellwood Memorial Park with Father Don Loftin officiating. Mrs. Gaylord died Friday at a Temple Nursing Home. Mrs. Gaylord was born in Chicago, Illinois to William Saunders and Nora Maloney Saunders. She married Dr. Robert Gaylord September, 1973. She received her RN degree from Little Company of Mary in Evergreen Park, Illinois; her Bachelor and Master of Science Degrees from DePaul University in Chicago and a Ph.D. in Higher Education and Administration from Michigan State University. She was an Assistant Professor at St. Xavier's College, a full professor at Moraine Valley College at Palos Hills, Illinois and a full professor and Dean of Health Sciences at Governor's State University in Park Forest, Illinois. She was Coordinator of Allied Health Education at the V.A. Hospital in Temple. She developed and implemented 66 health science programs for the Region of the V.A. She served on numerous Medical Education Committees and was a Community Professor at Temple College and Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos. She was active in both Medical Technology and Nursing. She implemented the first Certified Laboratory Assistant Program in the country in consort with the American Society of Clinical Pathologists. She served on the AS MT Board for many years. Dr. Gaylord was an active member of President Johnson's Committee on Student Loans, and she was also a Delegate, People to People Nursing Education and Administration Delegation to East Asia. She was the recipient of Special Achievement Awards for Equal Employment Opportunity and several other achievement awards from the V.A. She retired in 1994. She was a member of St. Luke Catholic Church where she served as Eucharistic Minister. Survivors include her husband Dr. Robert Gaylord of Temple. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to St. Mary's Catholic Church and School in Temple. Scanio-Harper Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.