profile
’75
Major Marilyn Clouden Potsdam
By Deidre Kelly
allowed me to be me and let my work speak for itself. The most important lesson iving back is the only way I I took away from my Potsdam education is “ can see to pay it forward.” don’t let the label ‘minority’ define you or That about sums it up define what you can or cannot do.” for Major (Ret.) Marilyn When she wasn’t hitting the books, she Clouden ’75, a 20-year United States Air participated in the Afro-American Society Force veteran, who recently established and played on the Women’s Basketball The Laurie Augustus and Annella Clouden Team from 1971 to 1975. Clouden was Endowed Scholarship for Business or a starter all four years and the team’s coPolitics in honor of her parents. captain in her senior year. Her impressive Clouden, formerly of Brooklyn, N.Y., skills were recognized again in 1991 when attended SUNY Potsdam through the she was inducted into the SUNY Potsdam Equal Opportunity Program, which Sports Hall of Fame. awarded her a full scholarship and opened “If anything, being on the women’s the door for the biology major to earn a basketball team had the most impact. It Bachelor of Arts degree in interdisciplinary was about teamwork, discipline and incluscience. siveness,” she said. “Coach Jan Reetz was “In early August 1971, to my great a mentor to her girls. She was supportive surprise, I received a call that I was acand she nurtured us.” cepted to SUNY This nurturPotsdam,” ing also came “SUNY Potsdam is that little-known Clouden recalled. from Clouden’s “I was elated and secret, way up there in the Adirondacks, parents, who sad at the same dared to dream which offers a first-class education time because I of a better life knew I couldn’t and can stand toe-to-toe with the best for themselves go away to college and their seven because I couldn’t colleges in the nation. I brag about children, despite afford it. The next their very humweek, I received a Potsdam, every chance I get.” ble beginnings. second call, and She wanted to this time I was told not only that I was ac- establish a scholarship in their names to cepted, but I was offered a full scholarship recognize their dedication to education under the Equal Opportunity Program. and for their love, support and encourageThe decision was easy; my financial worries ment. Their strong work ethic served as were put to rest.” a motivator for Clouden to pursue her As a Caribbean-American and as a dreams and aspirations, as is evident by minority on campus, Clouden’s experience her successful career both in and out of at Potsdam was a bit different from most. Federal Government Service. Her parents emigrated separately from After graduating from Potsdam, CloudTrinidad, West Indies, and settled in the en joined the military and had a successful United States in late 1950s and 1960s. career as a meteorologist in the U.S. Air “I had to step outside my comfort zone Force, where she became a decorated ofand allow myself to learn new things, ficer. She served as a medical technician, be open to new ideas and possibilities. I staff weather officer, and a military politilearned to embrace that which was differcal officer at a variety of military bases, ent and not isolate myself. I learned how both domestically and internationally, and to adapt but still be me,” she said. “My also commanded units in the U.S. and career path (whether in the military or in European theater. civilian life) has been a mirror of SUNY She is proud of the integral role she Potsdam. In many work situations, I played in the President’s Partnership for found myself as the only minority on staff, Peace (PfP) Military-Military (Mil-Mil) but the experiences I gained from Potsdam Program, a major NATO program estab-
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lished in 1994 to enhance cooperation and stability in central and eastern European countries while increasing interoperability between partner nations and NATO. As a leader of her team, Clouden was instrumental in assisting aspirant countries such as Hungary and others to gain NATO membership. She retired as a Major from the military after 20 years of dedicated service, and along the way, earned a Master of Science in International Relations at Troy State (European Division) in 1985. She now works as a Systems Engineer for Lockheed Martin in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area and volunteers with the USO, helping to prepare packages for servicemen and women in war zones. Clouden hopes that the future recipients of her scholarship will lead the way in building bridges to a better and brighter future for the next generation through public service. “I believe that there is someone out there just like I was years ago, in need of financial support, who has no idea how they are going to pay for a college education. Over the years I thought about what a difference the Equal Opportunity Program made and how it changed my life,” she recalled. “It is that old saying, ‘give someone a hand, not handout.’ I’m hoping this will allow students to focus primarily on why they are there (to get an education), rather than being distracted by how they’ll pay for books or meals. I’m hoping that they will seize every opportunity Potsdam has to offer, so that they can achieve their full potential.” The first $1,000 Laurie Augustus and Annella Clouden Endowed Scholarship for Business or Politics will be awarded for the 2013-14 academic year to an incoming freshman.
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