Dr. Thomas Paul Marshall

Be Present. It is not their passing that is the focus, but it is the impact they left on others that needs to be acknowledged. A team, together for 72 years of marriage and dating, they embodied the importance of being present for literally tens of thousands of students, parents, staff, friends, and family throughout their careers in Montgomery County public schools and other academic locales.

Dr. Thomas P. Marshall was Principal of Springbrook High School and Belt Junior High School and Martha R. Marshall taught fourth grade at Brookhaven and Rock Creek Valley Elementary Schools. Every day, they recognized and nurtured each person’s individual needs, actively creating avenues to help those individuals make more positive life choices; at the same time, they helped educate those same individuals about how to contribute to the greater community.

An obituary typically lists the accomplishments of one’s life, but that would turn this piece into a book! Dr. Marshall, who was raised in a small town in Georgia, loved his family and childhood, was a principal at age 20 of a small school and went on to discuss education with a U.S. President. He traveled behind the Iron Curtain before the end of the Cold War (greeted off the plane by unfriendly armed soldiers stationed every few feet) to evaluate other countries’ educational systems and created an institution of learning expertise that would weather the societal and political changes of the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s. One of his gifts was his ability to lead and support teachers and staff to raise the standards for academic excellence and empower students to reach their potential in whatever they pursued.

Martha Marshall, an amazing teacher and sometimes second mother, brought Mohammed Ali and Sally Ride into her 4th grade classroom to open the eyes of students to life’s endless possibilities. She created an environment of safety and warmth that allowed children to excel and often, just feel cherished. She, too, finished college at age 19 to teach in Florida, mostly to migrant children (one became a Pastor and baptized my youngest 40 years later).

Tom and Martha had no judgments on poor or rich, skin color, religion, culture or intellect. Each person was seen as an individual and then, whatever their needs or problems, the Marshall’s looked for and usually found and offered solutions for the individual and/or their families. Often, it was just listening, but that was critical to healing and acceptance. The gift of listening was given over and over, making the person feel they were the most important one in the room at that moment. Maybe that is why 50 years later, students, staff, friends, and family found their way to visit their home, the Marshall Farm, where all were welcomed…and, if you knew Martha, were fed.

Their message was very different in execution. Dr. Marshall was a very exacting Principal whose standards for students, staff, and families were well established and he expected every person to respect others and converse and behave civilly. Springbrook became a flagship for educational institutions across the United States and achieved a top 10 status for public high schools. Very few saw the personal toll it took on Dr. Marshall to hold the line on changing generational values and standards of personal and collective behavior. They counted on him to be the most consistent person they knew whose values never wavered. He knew who he was and what he stood for and the loyalty that engendered is one for the ages.

As his “other daughter,” Helene Silverman Belisle, said, he was “Loyal. Responsible. Honest. Ethical. Fair. Kind. Listener. Patriotic. Humorous. Prayerful. These are not old-fashioned traits; they are traits to which we should all aspire. And they were personified in a great man who recently went to meet God.”

Martha would impart the wisdom of her years in the most loving manner. She never lost her quest for knowledge that she found by sharing in the lives of others. She took the time to self-reflect and apply the knowledge gained to herself and her many friends. Her message of love and caring was manifest in the keepsake notes she tirelessly wrote to friends and family.

Over the years, my daughters and I have been blessed to hear stories from people whose lives my parents permanently impacted. I have read letters from former students and staff who wanted to acknowledge and thank them. For each of you, whether you wrote or not, they treasured the years they spent with you. A common thread throughout these conversations was that each of you was experiencing a very difficult time in your life, sometimes because of your own actions. What you found in their guidance was advice, but also the understanding that your worst moment did not and does not define you as a person. There is grace in learning from these moments, in forgiveness and choosing a different path.

As we await their joint burial in Arlington National Cemetery (Dr. Marshall served proudly in the Korean War), they would want to leave one final message, in their own words. From the Principal’s note he wrote in the 1965 Springbrook High School yearbook, The Trident, the words are as important today as they were then:

Dr. Thomas P. Marshall (deceased at age 94)

“Education is a process which should have as its purpose the systematic introduction of our cultural and intellectual heritage in a manner that generates curiosity, stimulates creativity, implores critical thinking, and supports moral responsibility in the development of the individual student.

It is this search for personal development and truth that should occupy you time and your talents rather than the many distractions that your travels though this “never, never land of growing into adulthood.” This is not to say that we should not be engaged in many activities but rather reminds us that the cultivation of our talents, skills, and physical, mental, and emotional processes should occupy the greater part of our energy and attention.

Knowledge is easily transferred from one generation to the next; but truth and freedom must be born, developed, and secured anew by each generation. It is our fervent hope that we have provided the necessary tools of learning and the moral convictions to establish the foundation of your future in our democratic society.”

From Martha Marshall’s personal note, age 82 (she lived until almost 92):

“I believe that my own deep love for God influences every aspect of my life. Even though his greatness is beyond my human comprehension, His grace, though unmerited, continues to bring me peace, purpose, assurance, and blessings.

The more I opened my heart to Him our connection grows stronger. Our ongoing conversations have no boundaries. He just keeps calling for me to move forward, forgiving me when I disappoint Him and strengthening me in times of great difficulties. I know that he is counting on me to carry his message of love forward and to work towards making his goals my goals here on earth. As I age, I trust in God to continue to speak to my heart and to use any resources I have to continue his ministry of love.”

Their family thanks each and every one of you for the love, support and kindness that you have given all of us for so many years. Please remember these two wonderful souls and keep paying it forward, in positivity, hope and helping others.

Alison Marshall, Daughter

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.aycockfuneralhomejupiter.com for the Marshall family.