“All will miss her very much indeed and remember her vibrant intelligence, her extraordinary memory, and her warmth.”

Remembering Marisol Maura (1937–2025)

Soledad Maura ’86 shares the sad news that her mother, Marisol Maura, passed away on November 24, 2025. Marisol was a deeply valued teacher of Spanish at Milton Academy for 26 years.

Soledad writes: “She shaped the lives of many students, and her life, in turn, was shaped from an early age by her own education. She grew up in Madrid, where she attended the British Institute and the Irlandesas school for girls. Both cemented her love of the English language. She was a leader and one of the few students in her class to pursue a professional life and a university degree. After working at the news agency Europa Press, she studied at Madrid’s Universidad Complutense, where her professors, including Jack Cressey White, OBE, and Kenneth S. Lynn, further inspired her love of English and American literature.

Marisol discovered the poetry of Emily Dickinson, whose work became a lifelong passion and the subject of her doctoral dissertation. She was eventually offered two competing fellowships to complete her research, one at the University of Cambridge, the other in Massachusetts. Longing to see the land of Dickinson’s poetry, she set off for the United States.

Marisol began her career as a professor of Spanish literature and history at Middlebury College. From there, she joined the Milton faculty in 1976. At Milton, she became chair of the Modern Languages Department, was awarded the Jessie Bancroft Cox Chair and the Talbot Baker Award, and was honored with the University of Chicago’s recognition of Outstanding High School Teacher. She was a pioneer in intercultural programs and international education, and was instrumental in founding and leading Milton’s Spanish exchange with the Colegio Estudio in Madrid (currently in partnership with the Colegio del Pilar). She was also the co-editor of the 2002 book Azulejo (Wayside), a study guide for the Spanish AP Literature course Milton had recently launched.

Over the years, she was able to spend time in Spain, either directing the Milton exchange or teaching at the Colegio Estudio or at the New York University and Middlebury programs.

Upon her retirement in 2002, her colleague George Fernald wrote in Milton Magazine: “She is a passionate lover of literature, and her knowledge of the English, American, and French classics has helped her students… she has taught both the classics and contemporary masterpieces with a depth and scope that show great respect for the potential of her students… Her warm smile and cheerful ‘¡Hola!’ have often brightened our days.”

Marisol’s former colleague Ana Colbert remembers, “Her students didn’t only learn about literature and language in her classes. They learned about life, and how to overcome hurdles with serenity and elegance. She was exceptionally observant, and took stock of situations quickly and accurately.”

Over the years, many of her students kept in touch about their pursuit of degrees in Spanish or their own careers in education, or other fields that allowed them to use their Spanish, including immigration law.

In 2001, shortly before she retired, Marisol was diagnosed with inclusion body myositis. For nearly 25 years, she adapted to the physically disabling consequences of her rare illness, for which there is still no cure.

Her mind remained as sharp as ever, and she kept up with childhood friendships that had lasted over 80 years, as well as close relationships with family, former colleagues, and students from around the world. All will miss her very much indeed and remember her vibrant intelligence, her extraordinary memory, and her warmth.

Soledad hopes to honor her memory and continue sharing her passion for languages and literature in her own role as V-Nee Yeh ’81 Professor of Spanish and Comparative Literature at Williams College (V-Nee Yeh, coincidentally, graduated from Milton in 1977). She describes her mother as the embodiment of humanistic values, and an inspirational and beloved parent and teacher to whom she owes everything.