Mabel  Stevenson Marshall
January 9, 1929 - March 1, 2016)

Mabel Stevenson-Marshall MD, was born on January 9, 1929 in County Down, Northern Ireland to a Presbyterian Minister and his wife. After her education at Victoria College Belfast she attended medical school at Queen’s University Belfast, obtaining her MD degree in 1952 at the age of 23. Following internship and residency in Pathology and Hematology, she married Dr. Robert Marshall before sailing to Australia to research fellowships at the Baker Institute and Melbourne University. Then followed three years at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. In 1960 she and her husband were recruited as founding faculty members at the newly opened four year School of Medicine at West Virginia University in Morgantown as Professors of Pathology and Cardiology respectively. Mabel was also active in Hematology, particularly blood clotting disorders, and she was director of the University Blood Bank. She published scientific papers and was co-author of a textbook of Hematology. In that era medicine in the United States was nearly a male monopoly. Mabel encouraged young women to enter medical school, thus contributing to the present era when 50 percent of newly graduated medical doctors are women. Mabel received many honors, including Fellowship of the American College of Physicians, and the Laureate award of the West Virginia Chapter of APC. In 1976 Mabel and her husband moved from Morgantown to Huntington where she became Director of the Red Cross Blood Transfusion Center. Later, she joined the administrative staff of St. Mary’s Hospital as its founding Director of Medical Affairs. She served as president of the Cabell County Medical Society, and was active in other civic organizations. Subsequent to her retirement she remained active in her hobby of gardening. Mabel was predeceased by her son Ian Marshall MD. She is survived by her husband, Robert Marshall MD, their children, Stephen JD and Deirdre MD; seven grandchildren; two brothers, Hugh and William and a sister Betty. Services will be private. A celebration of life will be held at a later date to be announced.