As the eldest of six children, Dr. Mary Etta Hight worked her way through her undergraduate education. A daughter of business owners, Dr. Hight helped rear her younger siblings. Socialized to think that decent females aspired only to be typists or teachers, she pursued a teaching degree in Home Economics with a minor in Biology from Concord College in Athens, WV. Immediately following graduation, anxious to leave her native WV, she moved to Ohio, where she began her career as a Home Economist for the Ohio Fuel and Gas Companies.

After mastering the challenges of that position, she moved on as the Southwest Regional Home Economist for Whirlpool. After a few years in this role, she moved back to WV due to familial obligations. The move back rekindled her interest in Biology. She took a few Biology courses at West Virginia State College and Morris Harvey College (now The University of Charleston) before finishing both her M.S. and Ph.D. programs at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. As a doctoral candidate, she spent a year on a Fulbright Student Fellowship in India, chasing squirrels. She began working in the animal facility at the Michigan Cancer Foundation while completing her dissertation. She then taught a few years at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan , before joining the Department of Biological Sciences at Marshall in 1976.

When asked what her plans are for retirement, she simply stated: “Live.” With no definite plans, she will continue to garden, travel, read, spend time with her husband, and perhaps finish writing her book on the mammals of West Virginia. In retrospect, her career has been full of rewards with no regrets. She has loved her journey and feels that she has made a difference in the lives of many students, and has greatly enjoyed the personal relationships she built with her students. But overall, she says, “It’s been a great ride.” On behalf of MU-ADVANCE, we hope the ride continues for many years.
 

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