The Marguerite Preuss Scholarship was established in 1995 by her son Kevin to honor his mother for her many years of service to Community Memorial Hospital and her lifelong interest in encouraging educational opportunities.
Marguerite (Maggie) was born in Bay View, Wisconsin, the granddaughter of Italian immigrants. She attended Marquette University for a couple of years majoring in English before leaving to take a job. Maggie always wished that she had completed her degree.
Later in her life, one of the highlights of her year was attending “College Week” at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. She also had an interest in equal opportunity for women and greatly admired Mrs. Pamela Parker, a hospital administrator and highly respected community leader.
Maggie worked at the hospital, first as a switchboard operator and later as an admitting clerk and called the hospital her work home for 26 years.
Her son Kevin Preuss also worked part-time in housekeeping for six years as he finished high school and throughout college as he completed a degree in biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. He spent many hours studying science and mathematics in hospital conference rooms before and after his work shifts.
In 1976, he was mopping the hospital floors when his mom used her 15-minute break from her duties as an admitting clerk to deliver a letter to him. He recalls opening the letter and learning that he had been accepted to the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW).
“I can still see her watching as I anxiously opened the envelope in the hallway outside the physical therapy department,” Dr. Preuss recalled. “It was great to have her there as I received this exciting news!”
It was very important to Maggie that her children were educated. Dr. Preuss recalls, “She made sure that my sister Karen, my brother Kyle, and I excelled in school. She could be a task master and did not tolerate mediocrity. If we did something that was not up to her standards, she demanded that we do it over.”
After graduating from MCW, Dr. Preuss moved to Indianapolis for his internal medicine residency at Indiana University. He returned to MCW for a cardiology fellowship and ultimately became a faculty member. He moved to Columbus, Indiana in 1989 where he practiced until his retirement in 2014.
While still employed at Community Memorial Hospital, Maggie passed away in 1991 at the age of 61 after a brief illness. As they mourned his mother’s death, Dr. Preuss and his wife Lisa Duret decided that a meaningful way to honor her legacy was to support the education of future medical professionals.
In 1995 they established the Marguerite Preuss Scholarship, which is awarded annually to staff members pursuing advanced health care career opportunities. It was their desire that preference be given to women age 21 and over. They are happy to have provided this scholarship for many years and look forward to helping future recipients.
The Marguerite Preuss Scholarship was awarded this year to Chanell Johnson, RN, who is studying for an advanced degree in nursing from Capella University.
Having dedicated his career to the medical field, Dr. Preuss offers the following advice to young people interested in medical professions: “Health care is an extraordinary and rewarding field with many professional opportunities. There are always exciting changes and challenges that keep things interesting. Every day you have the chance to interact with inspiring colleagues and patients."
