Marie Eustice Scholarship

Marie Eustice began her teaching career in 1927 after graduating from Mankato State Teachers College. Over the next decade, she taught eight different grade levels, covering subjects like math, science, and English. In 1938, she stepped away from the classroom to raise her two children, Cathy and Bill Jr., with her husband, Bill Eustice.

Marie returned to her passion for teaching in 1953, becoming a 4th grade teacher in Belle Plaine, Minnesota. Known for her caring and student-centered approach, she was deeply committed to preparing young learners for a lifetime of growth and built lasting relationships with the families she served.

When Minnesota began requiring all teachers to hold bachelor’s degrees in the late 1950s, Marie returned to school—commuting an hour each way to what is now Minnesota State University, Mankato, attending classes at night and on weekends while continuing to teach full-time. Tragically, just days before her graduation, Marie lost her life in a car accident on a winter morning in December 1959.

In 2012, Minnesota State University, Mankato and the Annexstad Family Foundation established the Marie Eustice Scholarship to honor her life and legacy. Awarded through the College of Education, this scholarship supports a junior-year student in the Elementary Education Professional Program who has faced personal challenges yet demonstrates exceptional promise to become an outstanding elementary educator—just as Marie was.