Marie Mildred Irwin

1926 - 2007  (81 years)

• Name	Marie Mildred Irwin
  Born	3 Jan 1926	Wellington, , , New Zealand   [1]
  Gender	Female
  Died	13 Apr 2007	Auckland, , , New Zealand   [1]
  Obituary	20 Apr 2007  [1]
  	New York Times Online (Asia Pacific)
  	Obituary April 20, 2007 Marie M. Clay, Remedial Reading Specialist, Dies at 81 By MARGALIT FOX Marie M. Clay, an internationally known educator who developed a remedial reading program known as Reading Recovery, which has been used with millions of children around the world, died last Friday in Auckland, New Zealand. She was 81 and lived in Auckland. Ms. Clay died after a brief illness, said the Reading Recovery Council of North America, which announced the death in the United States. Ms. Clay was an emeritus professor of education at the University of Auckland, where she had taught since the early 1960s. Reading Recovery focuses on first-grade students who are having difficulty learning to read. It offers them a series of one-on-one daily lessons with a trained tutor, for 12 to 20 weeks. Inaugurated in New Zealand in the 1970s, Reading Recovery has been used with more than 1.6 million children in the United States since it was introduced here in 1984, the North American organization said. It is used in several other English-speaking countries, including Canada, Australia and Britain. The program has a Spanish version, used in the United States; a French version, used in Canada; and a Danish version. Ms. Clay’s many books include “Becoming Literate: The Construction of Inner Control,” Heinemann, 1991; “Concepts About Print: What Have Children Learned About the Way We Print Language?” Heinemann, 2000; and “Change Over Time in Children’s Literacy Development,” Heinemann, 2001. Marie Mildred Irwin was born on Jan. 3, 1926, in Wellington, New Zealand. (Her given name is pronounced MAH-ree, with the stress on the first syllable.) She earned a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of New Zealand in 1946 and a master’s degree in education in 1948. She studied clinical child psychology at the University of Minnesota in the early 1950s and earned a doctorate in education from the University of Auckland in 1966. She taught elementary and special education in New Zealand, and was a school psychologist there, before joining the University of Auckland faculty. Her marriage to Warwick Clay ended in divorce. She is survived by a brother, Robert Irwin of Auckland; a sister, Lorraine Christie of Wellington; two children, Alan Clay of Wanganui, New Zealand, and Jenny Clay of Auckland; and three grandchildren. Ms. Clay, a past president of the International Reading Association, was widely honored for her work. She was made a dame commander of the British Empire in 1987.
  Occupation	educator and author of remedial reading books  [1]
  Person ID	I7088	Arthur - Research
  Last Modified	29 Sep 2009

  
  

  Family (Divorced)	Warwick Victor Clay,   b. 8 Jun 1924, Auckland, , , New Zealand ,   d. 8 Jul 2007  (Age 83 years)
  Married	14 Jun 1952	Minneapolis, , Minnesota, United States   [2]
  Divorced	1981  [2]
  Children	1. Alan Victor Clay   2. Jennifer Lyn Clay
  Family ID	F2877	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map		Born - 3 Jan 1926 - Wellington, , , New Zealand Married - 14 Jun 1952 - Minneapolis, , Minnesota, United States Died - 13 Apr 2007 - Auckland, , , New Zealand  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Sources

  [S695] Obituaries: General, Marie Clay, New York Times, 20 Apr 2007, , viewed 29 Sep 2009. [S666] Private Sources. Warwick Clay, Feb 1989