THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, June 4, 1995 TAG: 9506040044
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A15 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: WEST POINT, N.Y. LENGTH: Short : 36 lines
Rebecca Elizabeth Marier went to West Point for a challenge, but it wasn't too much of a challenge for her: She's the first woman to be No. 1 in a graduating class.
That puts her in distinguished company at the 193-year-old U.S. Military Academy, including the likes of Gen. Douglas MacArthur and Confederate Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard.
To make it to the top, Marier led the 987 other cadets in academic, military and physical programs, school spokeswoman Andrea Hamburger said.
Marier, 21, of New Orleans had insisted on going to West Point when her parents preferred Harvard University.
``I knew Harvard would be an academic challenge, but I thought this place would be an all-around challenge,'' she said Friday.
``I promised them when I left high school, I would make them proud,'' Marier said. ``And that's one of the best parts about this. They're so proud.''
Marier will attend Harvard Medical School, only the second West Point graduate to do so, Hamburger said.
Women have been attending West Point since 1976. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Rebecca Elizabeth Marier
KEYWORDS: WOMEN IN THE MILITARY WEST POINT by CNB