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For the DiMento family, Salem State pride runs through the generations, demonstrating that, despite obstacles, an unwavering commitment to education can lead to a lifetime of success.
THE BEGINNING
It all started with Marion Louise Mythen DiMento (class of 1925), an alumna of the junior high education program. A trailblazer in her own right, Marion was an educator, wife, mother of nine children, respected community member, and fierce advocate for higher education.
“Our mother was determined to instill in her children the importance of college education,” William “Bill” DiMento ’65 recalled. “An educator throughout her life, she understood the significance of a degree.”
Marion didn’t merely discuss the value of learning; she embodied it daily. Her voracious reading habits, as recalled by her children, were legendary. Bill remembered, “If I ever set a book aside, she would swiftly pick it up and either immerse herself in it or ask me why I was reading it.” Marion’s thirst for knowledge profoundly impacted her children, nurturing a lifelong love for learning within the DiMento household that passed from generation to generation.
OVERCOMING OBSTACLES
Marion impacted innumerable children as a substitute teacher in Winthrop, Mass., and she instilled in her own children the belief that education was the key to their future success. “She was formidable, and the kids knew to respect her,” Peter DiMento ’58 recalled. This respect for education and their mother’s unwavering convictions became deeply ingrained in the DiMento family as they carried Marion’s legacy, each in their own way.
While some siblings pursued college immediately after high school, Bill’s journey took an unexpected turn after he left the university to serve in the United States Army, eventually returning years later. “My time in the Army instilled in me a greater sense of discipline than I had previously experienced,” he shared.
Bill, Peter and the rest of the DiMento family affectionately refer to Salem State as “a college of opportunity,” emphasizing how the small classes and personalized attention made them feel valued and supported. They weren’t just faces in the crowd; they were part of a community with many members of the DiMento family seizing opportunities at the university.
ROOTED IN VALUES
Deeply appreciating the value of their Salem State education, the DiMentos continue to support the university as a way to honor their mother’s legacy.
As they reminisce about photographs of Marion’s diploma and her time at Salem State, it becomes a tangible reminder of the foundation she laid for the family’s future— a legacy rooted in the values of community, resilience and gratitude with Marion serving as the guiding figure in shaping those principles.