Marion A. Ferguson of Vestavia Hills, Ala., who served as chair of the Samford University home economics department during the 1980s, died July 27.  She was 84.

A memorial service was scheduled at Dawson Memorial Baptist Church in Homewood at 4 p.m. Wednesday, July 31.  She was active in Dawson Memorial for many years.

Ferguson taught at Samford from 1974 until 1976 and again from 1979 until she retired as head of what is now the nutrition and dietetics department in 1986.  She held degrees from Winthrop College in South Carolina and the University of  Alabama.

She is survived by her husband, Jack; three daughters, a son and seven grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggested donations to the Marion A. Ferguson Scholarship Fund at Samford or to the Alabama Institute For Deaf & Blind Foundation, Talladega, Ala. 

 

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 5,791 students from 49 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.