Marlene Hair Blaue, Cal State/Long Beach, has answered her own call of duty: to support those who support our country through the Marine Corps. 
Marlene Hair Blaue, Cal State/Long Beach,
is a determined woman in everything she does. Be it as a Tri Delta alumnae
chapter president or a 30-year member of the Sleighbell Committee, she makes
things successful. Marlene has lent her talents to a new project since she
retired from her "Plant Lady" business. She and her husband Bob have
adopted 23 Marine Corps units and have focused their support on sending gift
boxes to the troops.
It is a labor of love and one she has involved her Tri
Delta sisters, neighbors, family and bridge friends to assist. Marlene sent her
first box October 2006 and now has shipped more than 1,900 boxes to Marines
deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
She
has shared her project with the Southern
California Alumnae Council, where the contents for 20 boxes were donated
and packed to be sent to Marines. Collegians from Cal State/Long Beach and the
Western Orange County Alumnae Chapter will be holding another box packing party
as a collegiate/alumnae event this spring.
Marlene started with focusing on
female Marines and has kept in contact with many of them as they returned from deployment.
Some Marines have come to visit her and even brought her flags flown in Iraq
and other mementos of their deployments. She receives wedding announcements,
birth announcements and updates from many of the Marines she has connected
with. She and her friend Aileen Cooper were profiled on CNN on Christmas Day
for their gifts to the troops. Marlene's labor of love is also to support and
celebrate her own Marines in her family - her husband Bob and her grandson, who
is a current active duty Marine.
