Mary Ann Giddings Hood

Born in Saginaw, Michigan, on January 26, 1930 to George and Marian Giddings; died July 1, 2010 at the age of 80. The oldest of eight children, Mary Ann shouldered added responsibility for her siblings, thereby acquiring people and organizational skills as well as great patience, which served her will throughout her life. Like her mother, she was a voracious reader.

Mary Ann gained lifelong friends while attending Allen Street School in Lansing, Michigan. Youth activities and choir at Michigan Avenue Methodist Church, Girl Scout functions, friends and family filled her high school years. She graduated from Lansing Eastern High School in 1948.

In 1952, she graduated from Michigan State College. At “State,” she was a member of Gamma Phi Beta sorority. In her senior year, she met, and later married the love of her life, Robert Brooks Hood, Jr. Mary Ann earned a Master of Arts in French Language and Literature in 1954 and a Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics in 1963.

Mrs. Hood joined the faculty at American University in 1957 as a specialist in teaching English as a second Language (ESL). She held several positions at American University including that of Director of the English Language Institute. She was a pioneer in the design and development of English proficiency tests for foreign students. Her tests were used in Bangladesh, China, Mexico, and the U.S. Mrs. Hood retired in 1987 with the rank of Associate Professor.

Mary Ann’s ESL expertise offered her unique opportunities. She was a Fulbright Scholar, lecturing at Centro Colombo Americano and La Pedagogica Femenina Nacional in Bogotá, Columbia in 1960. She was a teacher trainer for the Peace Corps in 1962. She consulted and taught in Israel for the U.S. Information Agency in 1980.

Mary Ann traveled extensively in China from 1984 to 1991 as an invited lecturer, training teachers, developing tests, and evaluating programs for teaching English to Chinese students. Mrs. Hood chaired, organized, or presented at, an array of ESL conferences throughout the U.S. from 1967-1987. She was an ESL consultant for Birzeit University in Israel, the University of Colorado, the University of Virginia, the Nigerian Embassy in Washington, D.C. and GEICO.

A hobby of collecting antique silver became a small business after her retirement from American University. Often consulted about the history of antique silver pieces, she maintained a shop and was known as the “Silver Lady.”

Mary Ann Hood resided with her beloved husband Robert in Falls Church and McLean, Virginia for 50 years, returning to East Lansing after his death in 2004. Surviving are seven siblings: George H. (Marianne) Giddings of St. Charles, MI, Dr. John W. (Judy) Giddings of Pittsburg, PA, Thomas A. (Kathleen) Giddings of Lansing, MI, E. Robert Giddings of Central Lake, MI, Hon. James R. (Julie) Giddings of Williamston, MI, Joanna R. Iliew of San Diego, CA, and Michael H. (Louise) Giddings of Leonardo, NJ. Mary Ann also enjoyed the company of many nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held at 2:00 o’clock p.m. on Saturday, July 31, 2010 at Gorsline Runciman Funeral Homes, 1730 East Grand River Avenue, East Lansing, MI. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent to the Salvation Army, 525 N. Pennsylvania Ave., Lansing, MI 48912; Sparrow Hospice Services, C/O Sparrow Foundation, P.O. Box 30480, Lansing, MI 48909-7980; or the Saginaw Choral Society, 201 North Washington Avenue, Saginaw, MI 48607-1209. Online condolences may be made at www.gorslineruncimaneastlansing.com

The family is being served by Gorsline Runciman Funeral Homes, East Lansing, Michigan.