Remembering Marilyn Heins, MD

Two women on the same flight to Tucson in 1985. They knew each other, so they chatted. But these were not ordinary women and their conversation was not polite small talk. These were powerful visionaries who knew, firsthand, what women could achieve. Rather than bask in complacency with their numerous accolades, they chose to blaze a more equal, stable trail for the generations of women who would follow. They knew their own struggles, they saw the fight was far from over. And so, by the time the plane landed, these women had a plan – to create a community organization of women who would lobby and support the fledgling field of Women’s Studies at the University of Arizona.

Those women were Dorothy Finley (rancher, teacher, beer bottling tycoon, and philanthropist who died in 2013) and Marilyn Heins, MD (pediatrician, advice columnist, medical school dean, and author) who sadly passed away last week. They were the founders of WOSAC, the Women’s Studies Advisory Council, which, nearly 40 years later, is still raising funds and supporting the faculty, students, and mission of Gender & Women’s Studies at the University of Arizona.

Dr. Heins was a regular fixture at WOSAC. If you browse through decades of photos for signature events like Women Who Lead and LUNAFEST, it won’t be long before you find those iconic, enormous, bright red glasses and that wise, proud, smiling face. When WOSAC launched our inaugural storytelling event, FIESTA (Feminism, Inclusion, Equality, Solidarity, Testimonial, Activism), Dr. Heins closed the show with her personal story of being a medical student at a school that never expected to teach women, as evidenced by her “dormitory” being a barely remodeled janitor’s closet.

When WOSAC offered a Lifetime Membership, Dr. Heins declined. She wanted to make sure she didn’t lose touch with the organization by checking in, paying dues, and making a generous donation every year. She was always among the first to renew and was also an enthusiastic member of our Book Group. She did not just conceive the idea of WOSAC, but she embraced and nurtured it from its infancy and through all the changes leading to maturity.

Dr. Heins’ legacy, at least part of it, is in Gender & Women’s Studies, which exists as its own department largely because of early support from WOSAC. She was our founder and one of our biggest fans. She remains our hero and will be deeply missed.

To learn more about Dr. Marilyn Heins, please visit:

Obituary and Memorial Service Information

Women’s Plaza of Honor Tribute

A Traveler’s Guide to Geriatrica by Marilyn Heins, MD – Illustrated by David Fitzsimmons