Mary Jane Van Hook was born December 20, 1941 in Bloomington, Indiana to Margaret and Richard Gilpatrick. She attended Bloomington High School and Indiana University where she received a Bachelor’s degree in English Education. Mary Jane joined the staff of St. Mark’s Nursery School, and discovered her passion for working with young children, in 1971. After a few short years, she became Director. One of the greatest achievements during her tenure was for St. Mark’s Nursery School to receive accreditation by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. However, she would say her greatest achievement was getting to watch some many children grow and discover the world. Her passion for child-centered programming for the whole community led to the creation of many events such as Getting Ready for Christmas, Young at Art, BubbleFest, and Science Alive. Soon she began collaborating with others on the creation of an early childhood area for WonderLab. Mary Jane also shared her passion for early childhood education through the many lab schools she facilitated, parent outreach programs, and a stint of teaching early childhood students at Indiana University. In her retirement, Mary Jane became a prolific writer. Many of her writings were fueled by a desire to share her early life with family, but she also wrote about any other topic that made her happy. Her worldly travels with her husband and the Monroe Bank PrimeTime program provided additional experiences to write about. Mary Jane is preceded in death by her husband of nearly 57 years, Ron Van Hook and her parents..
Mary Jane Van Hook was born December 20, 1941 in Bloomington, Indiana to Margaret and Richard Gilpatrick. She attended Bloomington High School and Indiana University where she received a Bachelor’s degree in English Education. Mary Jane joined the staff of St. Mark’s Nursery School, and discovered her passion for working with young children, in 1971. After a few short years, she became Director. One of the greatest achievements during her tenure was for St. Mark’s Nursery School to receive accreditation by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. However, she would say her greatest achievement was getting to watch some many children grow and discover the world. Her passion for child-centered programming for the whole community led to the creation of many events such as Getting Ready for Christmas, Young at Art, BubbleFest, and Science Alive. Soon she began collaborating with others on the creation of an early childhood area for WonderLab. Mary Jane also shared her passion for early childhood education through the many lab schools she facilitated, parent outreach programs, and a stint of teaching early childhood students at Indiana University. In her retirement, Mary Jane became a prolific writer. Many of her writings were fueled by a desire to share her early life with family, but she also wrote about any other topic that made her happy. Her worldly travels with her husband and the Monroe Bank PrimeTime program provided additional experiences to write about. Mary Jane is preceded in death by her husband of nearly 57 years, Ron Van Hook and her parents..
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