Dr. Marie Lamore

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Dr. Marie Lamore, died at Christian Health Care, Nevada, Dec. 30, 2007, at the age of 91. Mrs. Lamore was born Marie B. Leportois in Cherbourg, France, Nov. 8, 1916, to Maurice and Louise Leportois. Her family moved to Algeria in 1921, and she graduated from the high school of Algers, in Algeria. She then studied medicine and natural science at the University of Algers. She returned to live in Paris during the occupation of France during World War II.

Marie's academic training was done through the French National system in Algers, Algeria, and in Paris, France. She finished pre-medical (PCB) and pre-engineering courses and joined the research staff of the department of biology and embryology of the University of Algers. She received the following degrees: Baccalaureate, the License es Science and the official equivalence of the License es Lettres, the Diplome d'Etudes Superieures with published thesis, the teaching certificate, the doctorate in Linguistics, University of Provence. She also had been auditor of the Ecole Normale Superieures, Paris. She later completed a course in teaching foreign languages at George Washington University and a course in linguistics from the University of Washington, Seattle, Wash.

At the war's end, she received a master's degree in natural science from the Sorbonne University and became assistant professor of zoology at the Sorbonne. Prior to that she had been Research Associate in biometry at the Centre National de la Researches Scientifique. This followed being a graduate research assistant. It is there that she met her future husband, Donald Hart Lamore, who was attending classes. Donald Hart Lamore had served in the United States VII Army as sergeant in the military police. He had helped liberate France in 1944 and had returned to study at the Sorbonne after a period of convalescence in America. Marie left France in 1948, and followed Don to Ithaca, N.Y., where they were married Aug. 5, 1950. Both studied at Cornell University where Marie received a research grant in statistics in the department of agricultural economics. In 1952 their twin sons, Jean and Francois, were born in Washington, D.C. In 1954, Marie Lamore was naturalized in Maryland and became a United States citizen.

Before coming to Cottey she had taught French at the Washington, D.C., Berlitz School. Preceding that she had been a scientific abstractor at the National Research Council of the National Academy of Science, Washington, D.C. Previously, Marie had worked as a research statistician in the School of Agricultural Economics of the University of Maryland.

In 1958, at the request of Blanche Hinman Dow, president of Cottey College, they moved to Nevada, to teach at Cottey College, where they soon formed the French department. Marie Lamore has lived in Nevada, since that time. In 1977 she received her doctorate from the University of Aix-en-Provence, France, with her doctoral thesis Lecture and Signification. She was instrumental in organizing the program for students from the Ecole de la Legion d'Honneur which has sent several French students to Cottey College annually since. Marie Lamore was also active in organizing Cottey trips to France. Marie was an accomplished artist and her nature studies have illustrated many scientific reviews and books. She translated her love of nature and the arts to her two sons, Jean and Francois Lamore.

She has been an active member of St. Mary's Church since 1958. She is survived by her sister, Simonne Leportois, and brother, Pierre Leportois, both of Paris; her husband, Donald Hart Lamore of the home; sons Jean and Francois Lamore, both of Paris; and grandchildren: Uele Hart Lamore, Orfeo Rafaelo Lamore, and Burton Hart Lamore.

The funeral mass will be held Saturday, Jan. 5, at 11 a.m. at St. Mary's Church, in Nevada with Father Joseph Powers officiating. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Cottey College for the Marie and Don Lamore French Scholarship.

Funeral arrangements provided by Ferry Funeral Home, Nevada.