Marie Espinoza

Marie O. Espinoza

Marie grew up climbing hills and riding horses on her parent’s ranch in Northern New Mexico in the area now known as Angel Fire Ski Resort. Her first teacher in a one-room school was Pete Pasavento, a young man fresh out of college who later became a bomber pilot and also a World War II casuality. Joining him was his pupil and Marie’s brother, Benjamin, who never returned from a bombing mission to Germany in March of 1945.

At Taos High School she sang, danced and read! Her grandmother could never understand how she could listen to the radio and read at the same time. In her junior year, she was a “Princess” at the Queen’s court of the annual Tiger’s Ball. While in college she was elevated to “Queen” of the Southwest Wind Festival at New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas, NM.

After her introduction to teaching in Albuquerque, NM, her first assignment with the overseas schools was Nouasseur AB, French Morocco, in 1954. With officer status and much social activity, trips to surrounding areas and on to Tangier, Gibraltar, and Madrid, her life became interesting and exciting!

Her enthusiasm took her, as an elementary teacher, to Wiesbaden AB, Germany; Nagoya AB, Japan; Dhahran AB, Saudi Arabia; Aviano AB, Italy; Laon AB and Chateauroux AB, France (after a year at California State University in Los Angeles for a Master’s Degree), then Wheelus AB, Libya; Kadena AB, Okinawa; Tsysoying NB, Taiwan, and Clark AB in the Philippines.

Always an OEA member, sometimes a representative, she holds life memberships with NEA and NARFE, and for many years was a member of Kappa Delta Phi. After 32.5 years with the DoDDS School System, she retired to Las Vegas, NV in 1989. As of this writing, Marie is the Regional Representative for the AOSHS in Alaska, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and Western Canada.

Prepared by Marie O. Espinoza,2001