Marilyn McCleary and G. Christopher Belle-Isle '67

Chris, a member of MCC’s third graduating class and director of the Career and Transfer Center (retired) and his wife Marilyn, a gifted painter who has worked in the fine arts for over 40 years, have a passion for helping students realize their education, career and employment goals. They have created the Marilyn and Chris Belle-Isle Fine Arts Endowed Scholarship to provide assistance to a student with a passion for fine arts, who are enrolled in the Fine Arts (FA01) A.S. degree program at MCC.

“MCC has always been a significant part of our lives. The same has been true for the fine arts with Marilyn being a well-known local artist. In an era focused on technology, mathematics and science-based disciplines, we feel the humanities, in this case the fine arts, should also be recognized and supported for their valuable contributions to our culture. Providing this scholarship is one way to help students pursue their artistic endeavors. As Pablo Picasso stated: “Art washes from the soul the dust of every day life”. – Chris Belle-Isle ’67