STARKVILLE — A commitment to service, both in Oktibbeha County as well as in state and national politics, has earned a Starkville woman an national honor. The National Federation of Democratic Women has named Starkville’s Jeanne Marszalek its 2022 Outstanding NFDW Member.
The National Federation of Democratic Women is an organization that aims to unite women of the Democratic party. It has a national club as well as many state and local federations. The award is given annually to a woman who has contributed to the growth, development and promotion of the federation. Women from across the country are considered for the honor.
Marszalek founded the Oktibbeha County Federation of Democratic Women in 1990 and served as its president and treasurer several times. Today, she continues to serve as its historian.
“I felt really humbled and honored to receive that award,” Marszalek said. “I attribute a lot of it to the help that I received from my committee, who helped me to be able to collect and organize the papers of the Federation of Democratic women and send them to the Library of Congress.”
Since 2011, she has served as the chair of the history committee for the NFDW.
Marszalek has also been instrumental in the curation of the Jeanne A. Marszalek Collection in the Mitchell Memorial Library at MSU.
Those who know Marszalek well, like Everlyn Johnson describe her as a dedicated and hardworking individual. Johnson first encountered Marszalek when performing historical interviews. Then continued getting to know her as they worked on committees together as they are both involved in the Oktibbeha County Unity Park Committee and the Starkville Oktibbeha Unity League (SOUL).
“She is a hard worker because she gives her heart and soul to both of those groups,” said Johnson. “And they both are doing a lot for Starkville and Oktibbeha County.”
Marszalek also serves as chair of the Oktibbeha County Unity Park Committee and co-chair of SOUL. Unity Park, located downtown, posthumously honors two Oktibbeha County citizens each year who contributed to unity and improving race relations.
“Jeanne is the epitome of hard work and of genuine unity with all people and when she gets behind something it is going to be done,” she said.
Involved in bringing about unity locally, unity is also at the forefront of the work Marszalek does with the NFDW, as she describes how the Oktibbeha County chapter started.
“We felt that it was really important for women who agreed on the same issues to get together and talk about these issues, and do what we could to further support Oktibbeha County to try to increase our Democratic base here in our county. And I still feel the same way today,” she said.
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