When Gary McDonald ran for and was elected student body president at the University of Arkansas in 1971, his campaign was titled "The Quiet Revolution." But it was his soon-to-be wife, Marjean McDonald — then Marjean Creekmore — who went on to lead a quiet revolution her entire life after earning bachelor's and master's degrees from the U of A, expanding opportunities for women and children in the Tulsa area until her death in August of 2024.

After graduating with a master's degree in higher education administration from the U of A, Marjean embarked on a career that spanned higher education, nonprofits and community organizations. Throughout her life, she used the knowledge and skills from graduate school to inform her work, leadership and service that impacted thousands of lives in Tulsa.

"The value of the education that she got was beyond use in just brick-and-mortar academic institutions," Gary said. "That degree was an M.B.A. in how to get things done, and how to be effective in her community."

Marjean was born in Tulsa before moving to Northwest Arkansas during high school, where she graduated from Springdale High School and attended the U of A for her undergraduate degree after studying for two years at Lindenwood College in Missouri. While at the U of A, she became involved in student government, where she met Gary and worked on his campaign committee for student body president. They began dating in 1971 and married just over three years later after Gary completed law school at the U of A. 

While they were dating, Marjean was hired as director of housing at the University of Tulsa, where she worked for seven years in various leadership roles. She loved the work but made the tough decision to pause her professional career to stay at home and raise their four children - and eventually a fifth child they would adopt.

"She told me, 'We can do without the check, but I can't not raise my children,'" Gary said. 

But it was as a stay-at-home mother that Marjean became active in the community. She volunteered with the Margaret Hudson Program, where she worked with teenage girls who were pregnant or had been abused, providing critical education and social services to them. She also became a member of the Junior League of Tulsa, where she worked for 10 years and served in numerous leadership positions, including a yearlong term as president of the organization. When Marjean was president, the Junior League teamed up with First Lady Barbara Bush to promote literacy in Tulsa, culminating in a visit from Bush.

But Gary said her work as chair of the league's Child Abuse Network had the most lasting impact.

"That network became the prototype of that type of facility for communities all over the United States, and even in foreign countries," Gary said. "They brought all the resources in Tulsa - whether it be the police department or pediatric specialists - together in one place to better serve the kids."

In 1991, Marjean started the Tulsa Thunder Soccer Club, where she brought together a diverse group of youth from the Tulsa area to compete against each other. The program also offered a scholarship program for students who may not have been able to afford to pay the entry fee.

All the while, Marjean served as a mentor for professional women across Tulsa - mentoring educators, businesswoman, lawyers and others.

Through all her service to the Tulsa community, Marjean became a motherly figure to countless children and young women.

"She really cared about the kids. Her heart went out to them," Gary said. "And she helped a lot of women gain confidence and independence who can tie their professional development back to her advice and mentorship."

Throughout all these endeavors, Marjean utilized the knowledge and skills she learned in her graduate program at the U of A.

"The skills she learned about how to put programs together, how to build an understanding of mission, and how to have buy-in and how to do all of those things - she learned that at the U of A, and she did it all of her life," Gary said.

In 2024, Marjean was diagnosed with Goodpasture Syndrome, a rare autoimmune disease.  She passed away Aug. 29, surrounded by her family.

While she was in the hospital battling the illness, she was being wheeled back for dialysis when the technician recognized her and shouted her name. The technician had been one of the children who had played in Marjean's soccer club. After Marjean's passing, the woman posted on Facebook a touching tribute about the impact Marjean had on her life.

"Today I got to see a woman that meant the absolute world to me growing up," she wrote. "She was a role model, a motherly figure, someone who made sure I always had anything I needed and just about everything I wanted. She taught me that hard work would pay off even when it seemed too tough to finish in that moment. … Mrs. McDonald, I will forever be thankful for the beautiful memories you made possible for me to have experienced."

"We met her when she was a little girl," Gary said of the technician. "Marjean drove her everywhere and put her on a team. She gave this girl the opportunity to change her life, and she did. This is one example of the many lives Marjean changed through her own quiet revolution."