Menlo College professor identified as crash victim

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Dec 5, 2007 | by Neil Gonzales

A Menlo College professor died in a head-on collision on Highway 92 over the weekend.

The Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner's Office identified the victim Tuesday as Laura Marschall, 44, of Half Moon Bay.

Marschall was just finishing her first semester as an associate professor of biological sciences at the college in Atherton.

"We are devastated by this loss," college President Timothy Haight said in a statement. "Dr. Marschall was an outstanding researcher and a dedicated teacher, and she clearly was beloved by her students at Menlo."

Students planned a campus vigil Tuesday evening in honor of Marschall.

"We're going to light candles in memory of her and just be there to support each other," said Ben Aknin, 20, one of Marschall's students.

Aknin described his professor as "somebody who was quite knowledgeable and willing to help no matter the time of day and no matter what was on her plate."

He added that even though her official office hours ran from noon to 1 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays "she gave you her cell number, home number and office number. She was always there to talk."

Traci Yerby, a close friend of Marschall's and a fellow microbiologist, echoed those sentiments.

"Laura was passionate about biology and genetics," said Yerby, who has agreed to lead Marschall's remaining classes this semester. "She was very successful in passing along her love of her field to her students. After classes, she would spend a lot of time with those students who wanted extra instruction."

According to authorities and the college, Marschall was a passenger Saturday in a 1994 Subaru driven by her 16-year-old daughter, Sarah, going east on Highway 92 just west of Highway 35 near their home.

The California Highway Patrol said an An tioch woman was driving a 2006 Honda westbound on Highway 92 when her car veered into the opposite lane and collided with the Subaru.

Marschall was pronounced dead at Stanford University Medical Center.

Her daughter sustained a serious ankle fracture and was recovering at the hospital, Menlo College said.

The Honda driver -- whose name was not immediately available -- suffered moderate injuries, the CHP said.

Before joining Menlo, Marschall was a faculty member at California State University, East Bay. She also served as a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University.

Marschall grew up in the Bay Area and graduated from University of California, Santa Barbara, where she earned her bachelor's and master's degrees as well as a doctorate in biochemistry and molecular biology.

Her area of expertise was yeast genetics, in which she published a number of research papers.

Marschall is survived by her husband, daughter, son, parents and three sisters.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

Staff writer Neil Gonzales covers education. He can be reached at 650-348-4338 or ngonzales@bayareanewsgroup.com.