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- Mary Jane Rait
- One of the founding teachers of Grand Junction Junior College, (now Colorado Mesa University). She was born in Kansas to Alexander Rait and Charlotte (Cutter) Rait. She grew up partly in Palisade, Colorado, where her family were fruit farmers. She graduated from the Mt. Lincoln School in 1912. She attended the University of Colorado, where she received her Bachelors and Masters degrees. She taught first in Palisade, then at Grand Junction High School, and later at the Junior College when it opened. When the college was able to hire her full time in 1932, she quit her position at the high school. She taught history at the Junior College from 1925 until her retirement in 1960. In total, she taught for forty-two years in the Grand Valley, with four in Palisade and thirty-eight in Grand Junction. She also served as Dean of Women and Vice President of the college from 1937 until 1960. During her career, she received the Colorado Teacher of the Year award, a Colorado Federation of Women’s Clubs “Oscar” for her achievements as a teacher, and was named a distinguished alum of the University of Colorado. She was the president of American Association of University Women, and a member of the Altrusa Club. She is the niece of George Wallace Bowman and Nancy (Cutter) Bowman, who also settled in Palisade. *Some information taken from the articles “Mesa Educator Mary Rait Retiring,” Daily Sentinel, April 27, 1960 and “Mary Rait: Colorado Mesa University’s pioneer educator,” Senior Beacon, May 16, 2019. **Photo from 1949 Maverick (Mesa College yearbook).
