UGA Celebrates the Life of Marilyn Kehoe, a Cornerstone of the UGA Cortona Program
Selection of images honoring Marilyn Kehoe
The Office of Global Engagement, UGA Cortona, and the Lamar Dodd School of Art join the broader Athens community in celebrating the life of Marilyn Mallard Kehoe, who passed away on March 1, 2026, in Athens. She was 88.
Alongside her late husband, John Daniel “Jack” Kehoe, sculptor, educator and professor emeritus at UGA’s Lamar Dodd School of Art, Marilyn played a foundational role in building and sustaining the UGA Cortona Studies Abroad Program in Cortona, Italy as a hallmark of the university’s art education offerings abroad. Jack founded the program in 1970, and for decades the pair served as its heart, welcoming generations of students, faculty and guests into what the broader community came to call the “Cortona Family,” consisting of about 10,000 alumni, with hundreds of UGA students that join each year.
UGA Cortona, established in 1970, is UGA’s first international residential campus, predating the university’s Oxford program. Today it offers UGA-credit courses in more than 20 disciplines across the Lamar Dodd School of Art, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, Terry College of Business, College of Veterinary Medicine, College of Environment and Design, and the College of Family and Consumer Sciences. In the 2024-25 academic year, 245 UGA students took courses on the Cortona campus, representing nearly 6% of the 4,259 UGA students who studied abroad last year. In 2025, UGA was ranked No. 1 in the nation for short-term study abroad student participation and No. 5 overall for by Open Doors 2025 based on figures from the 2024-25 academic year.
Marilyn served as an integral presence for the program, helping guide students through their time in Italy and fostering a sense of belonging and cultural connection that thousands of alumni carry with them today. She also served as an informal ambassador for the program, warmly welcoming students and dignitaries to help them feel at home in a new country and culture. She and Jack owned an apartment in Cortona, where they became deeply woven into the life of the city, earning the affection and respect of its residents. In 1979, Jack was granted honorary citizenship by the Comune di Cortona, a distinction that reflected the couple’s shared commitment to the town and its people.
In an address delivered at the dedication of the John D. Kehoe Cortona Center that now houses students from UGA and beyond, Jack wrote of that connection: “My wife, Marilyn, and I felt so much a part of Cortona we decided to remain in the city after the program left. With four young children, Moira, Danny, Christopher, and Martha, we enrolled them in the local schools. This rich experience has helped form their lives today.”
“Marilyn’s wisdom, devotion to her family, and unwavering support of the UGA Cortona Studies Abroad Program(s) shaped a community that loved her dearly in both Cortona and her home in Georgia. Always positive, quick-witted, and full of warmth, she welcomed generations with grace and humor, leaving a legacy that will continue to inspire,” said Chris Robinson, director, UGA Cortona.
In 2013, Marilyn and Jack gave a joint oral history interview for UGA’s “Goin’ Back: Remembering UGA” collection, documenting their contributions to the university and to international education. Jack and Marilyn Kehoe directed their most meaningful support toward the Cortona study‑abroad program and the Lamar Dodd School of Art, providing major gifts for scholarships, program operations, and the student experience in Italy, along with an in‑kind contribution that strengthened program needs. They also supported the Georgia Museum of Art through membership, annual giving, and special initiatives that enhanced the museum’s work. Their generosity further extended to student scholarships across disciplines and to academic excellence through efforts such as the Lamar Dodd Professorial Chair of Art.
“Marilyn and Jack Kehoe supported UGA Cortona in multiple ways, both tangible and intangible. The longevity and vitality of the Cortona programs owe much to their sustained commitment to the success of the international center. While we are saddened by Marilyn’s passing, we are uplifted by the legacy she and her husband established—a legacy of support for student scholarships and experiential learning in Italy that will endure for generations to come,” said Martin Kagel, associate provost for global engagement.
Born March 9, 1937, in Charlotte, North Carolina, Marilyn earned her degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and began her career as a teacher. She is survived by her four children, Moira, Danny, Christopher and Martha, eight grandchildren and two siblings.
Funeral services will be held in Athens on Friday, March 20, at 11 a.m. at the Catholic Center, followed by a reception. The family will receive friends Thursday, March 19, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Bernstein Funeral Home.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the John D. and Marilyn Kehoe Cortona Program Scholarship. Contact the UGA Cortona Office at 706-542-7120 or Cortona@uga.edu for more information regarding donations. To learn more about UGA Cortona, please visit cortona.uga.edu.
