Mariam Verghese Memorial Award

Sponsored by

George Verghese, Newton, MA (USA)

Honoring Mariam Verghese (1923-2016): The sponsors of this award wish to help girl students from poor families in memory of Mariam Verghese. To family and friends Mariam is known as Rajamma, a name that is descriptive of her personality and bearing throughout her life. She was a brilliant student, obtaining a postgraduate degree in physics from the University of Kerala, and later, during a break in her teaching career, an MA degree in science education from Teachers College, Columbia University. Rajamma excelled as a teacher, starting in Colombo and Jaffna in Sri Lanka, followed by service in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and briefly in Birmingham, England. Later, when the family moved to the USA, she joined the Gaudineer School in Springfield, New Jersey. There she taught science and mathematics to middle school students, and also a special class for the gifted and talented.

After retirement the couple moved to Pompano Beach, Florida and eventually back to India, where they lived in Trivandrum for many years. In 2009 they returned to the USA to live near two of their sons, Abraham (Sajan) and Philip (Biju), and their families, in Palo Alto, California. They moved in 2016 to live with their oldest son George (Reji) and his family in Newton, Massachusetts.

During her retirement, Rajamma wrote a journal describing life in Kerala in the 1930's and 40's, addressed as a letter to her granddaughter (and titled Dear Deia), with hand drawn sketches of various items typical of Kerala life. The family intends to publish this as a book in the near future.

The family mourns the passing of this loving wife, mother, and grandmother, but also celebrates a life lived fully on four continents, and cherishes her as a shining beacon for the family all her life - and beyond.

Award Recipients