Marilyn Ware, Class of 1961

Marilyn Ware’s distinguished career took her seven time zones to the east as she presented her credentials as United States Ambassador to the President of the Republic of Finland on March 9, 2006. As Ambassador, Ms. Ware leads an embassy staff that represents the views of the United States government on political, social and economic issues. She also promotes American interests in Finland in areas including business, education and agriculture.

A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Ambassador Ware had a successful career in the water utility business, ultimately serving as Chairman of American Water Works Company, a major firm listed on the New York Stock Exchange. When this company was sold to a German concern, she joined the Economic Advisory Board of the combined businesses.

Ms. Ware used her technical expertise as Honorary President of WaterAid America, which provides pure drinking water, systems of sanitation, and health education in 15 countries around the world. She has also served on the Boards of Directors of the Vice President’s Residence Foundation, the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, and the Eisenhower Fellowships Foundation.

Working from her home in Strasburg, not far from Oxford, Ambassador Ware was a co-founder of the Lancaster Farmland Trust, the nation’s most successful farmland preservation organization. She has also been deeply interested in early childhood education, and in 2002 she was the chair of a statewide study of services available to the very young throughout Pennsylvania.

Oxford Area High School is honored to place a person of Ambassador Ware’s abilities and accomplishments on its list of Distinguished Alumni. - John Bradley