Oglethorpe University

Mary Jane Stuart Kohler helped put Oglethorpe volleyball on the map, and was a true Stormy Petrel on and off the court.

Stuart and Kerensa Shoemake were spent four years as the dynamic duo who paved the way for Petrel volleyball. "Mary Jane and Kerensa really put us on the map," said Coach Jim Owen. 

 

The combination of Mary Jane's sets and Kerensa's spikes compiled 95 wins out of 121 matches over their four years. In the 1990 Yamacraw yearbook "the two agreed that it is their friendship and teamwork that have brought them success." Mary Jane ended the 1990 season with an amazing career assist total of 1,441 with over 500 assists as a senior. 

Mary Jane became a member of the American Dietic Association in 1992 and graduated from Georgia State with a master's in nutrition education in 1994. She worked as a clinical nutritionist for Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston until 2001. From 2001-2002 she was a clinical nutritionist/diabetes educator and certified pump trainer with Animas Corporation and Clarion Diabetes Care. Mary Jane was also a member of the American Association of Diabetes Educators and the American Diabetes Association.

Stuart passed away on November 20th, 2002. 

Today, the Mary Jane Stuart Kohler Memorial Scholarship Fund provides a $2000 scholarship to a rising junior or senior female student at Oglethorpe University who best exhibits the distinguishing characteristics of Mary Jane Stuart Kohler: “An outgoing, upbeat personality; passionate in the pursuit of personal excellence; active in campus life; and displaying a strong sense of compassion for those less fortunate.” The scholarship fund was established by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Aurel Stuart, Jr.