If you’ve ever used FaceTime, Skype, own a Magic Jack, or have donated money after a disaster by sending a text message, then you have Marian Croak to thank. Her leadership and forward thinking changed how Ma Bell used its reach and made all of these things possible.
Marian Croak is a soft-spoken woman and a self-described non-talker, but her actions spoke loudly in support of Internet Protocol (IP) as the future of communication. Humans are always looking for the next best communication medium, the fastest path to understanding each other clearly. We are still making phone calls today, but voice has been joined by text and video as the next best thing to being there. All of it is riding on a versatile network strongly rooted in Marian’s work.
Image via Twitter
Little Miss Fix-it
Most kids, girls especially, want to help Mom and Dad at some point in their childhoods. But young Marian wasn’t interested in learning to cook or do the laundry — she wanted to be the one her mother called on when the furnace quit working or the dishwasher started leaking. Whenever a repairman came to the house, Marian would follow close behind, bugging them with questions about their equipment and troubleshooting procedures.
Other 1960s households might have discouraged that behavior, but Marian had a lot of support from her family, especially her father. She even quit Catholic school in 10th grade to chase a more scientific education in a gritty NYC public high school with bars on the windows. Marian’s parents weren’t pleased, but they didn’t try to stop her. In f ..
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