The first woman UM student body president, Maralyn Howell Bullion, died Friday at 101 years old.

Her life in Oxford has deep roots, and like the huge old pecan tree in her yard, reached out in many directions to touch her beloved community in countless big and little ways.

She attended University High School and then after graduation, she started at the University of Mississippi. While there, she joined Phi Mu where she made lifelong friends.

She continued to build a deep involvement on campus, including writing for the school newspaper as well as working as a society editor at the Oxford Eagle, participating in archery, and serving as the Phi Mu president.

She was elected the first woman student body president in 1943. She graduated from Ole Miss in 1944 with a degree in English and sociology. She moved to Memphis where she worked as a copywriter and proofreader for a pharmaceutical company. She also contributed her writing and editing skills to a hospital education office.

That experience led to a writing position with the Red Cross in Atlanta. It was there that she met her future husband, Jim Bullion, who was on leave from the Army.

The couple had six children and traveled all over Europe. Her husband, Jim, died in 1991 and Bullion moved back to Oxford in 1998.

One of her most direct impacts on Oxford is her work with the Lafayette County Heritage Foundation. She was instrumental in preserving and converting the Burns Belfry Church into a museum and multicultural center dedicated to local African-American history. She also worked on the restoration of the L.Q.C. Lamar House.

A private memorial service will be arranged.

Waller Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Click here for the complete obituary and service information when it becomes available.