Marija Fine ‘65 | Woman of Midland

Marija Fine ‘65 exemplifies what it means to be a bold woman. She received her BA in History from Midland in 1965 and went on to earn her Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor shortly after. In 1970, Marija received her Master’s of Arts in International Studies from the School of International Service at American University in Washington DC. As a lifelong educator, Marija taught English as a second language both stateside and abroad teaching at a variety of universities and colleges along the east coast. .”As an educator, consultant, writer and information specialist, I worked with private and government agencies. At the American Cancer Society in Washington DC, I managed cancer education programs for the DC schools and the US government. I was a consultant to the US Department of Education, writing a history of the National Teacher Corps, and serving on proposal review panels for the Office of Bilingual Educational and Minority Languages. I was an information specialist with the National Education Association for three years, where its Newsletter published some of my articles on teacher training materials.” said Fine.

“In 2014, I learned the story about the family from which I was separated less than one year after my birth. Since the publication of the book, Wide Eyes, I have appeared on "This Week in America," a radio podcast; and was invited to speak to the US Army at several of its "Days of Remembrance," an event that honor the victims of the Holocaust every April. Groups include the 25th Infantry in Honolulu, Hawaii and at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. I also spoke to the US Nuclear Agency about my wartime experience. In Latvia, my publisher took me on a cross-country book tour to four cities, which included presentations at libraries and television appearances.”

Marija was married to Irwin Fine, an international economist at the US Department of Commerce until he passed away from Alzheimer's disease in 2011. In 2021, Marija married Dr. Lt. Col Everette Beers, a retired US Army scientist and former Bureau Director at the Food and Drug Administration. They have homes in Washington, DC and Martinsburg, WV.