“I’ve gained so much from the Martha Cook Building,“ says Kathy Graneggen Moberg ’79. “It gave me a sense of belonging, a special home base, from my first days on the big U-M campus. Sit-down and faculty dinners honed my conversational skills. I learned the art of balancing a plate and teacup at Friday teas! Co-chairing Messiah Dinner gave me self-confidence. Most important of course, are all the enduring Cookie friendships I’ve made both as a student and alumna. I want to do all I can to keep the Martha Cook experience one of the choices available for women at the University of Michigan.”
Kathy’s name should be familiar to most MCB alumnae. She is a former MCAA newsletter editor and has been Cookie Crumb editor continually since the late 1990’s. She has served on the MCAA Board, several committees, and was a Governor of the Building for two terms. “Martha Cook is my number one U-M vehicle for lifelong learning, “she comments.
In addition to volunteering her time, Kathy and her husband, Bert (U-M ’76), who dated through her 5 years in the Building, are regular donors and recently included MCB in their joint estate plan. They designed the MCB door plaque together in 2003 and a few years later placed Kathy’s name on room 235 (her first room) next to that of her roommate and dear friend Debra Ball Johnson ’80, ’82. Kathy’s parents also made a donation in her honor, placing her name on 104, her final resident room. Kathy and Bert recently completed a pledge for another door plaque and have newly pledged a fourth although they do not plan to put Kathy’s names on these additional plaques. Rather, they will choose to honor two women, as yet unnamed, of historical importance to the Martha Cook Building.
A double major in English and Honors History, Kathy earned a MS in Historic Preservation at Eastern Michigan in 1982, a degree that has occasionally come in handy for MCB projects. “Our Michigan educations, experiences and friends are so important to us both,” says Kathy. “The satisfaction and return we receive from our donations are immeasurable.”
Kathy and Bert Moberg are truly Victors for Martha Cook and Victors for Michigan!