(September 2, 1913 – May 14, 2009) Marian Herron played golf at the highest levels throughout the 1930s, including a victory in 1934 at the Western Open, which was the top women’s tournament at the time.
Born Marian McDougall, she attended St. Mary's Academy in Portland. She was already a third-generation member of Waverly Country Club, so the game came naturally.
Marian was still in high school when she won the first of two Oregon junior girls titles at age 16. She then won the Western Open at age 20. Marian continued playing competitively into the late 1940s, winning the Pacific Northwest Golf Association’s women’s amateur title six times through 1948, and the Oregon women’s amateur title from 1936-40. In 1949, she finished second in the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, losing to fellow Oregonian and Hall of Famer Grace DeMoss in the final.
McDougall, who changed her name to Herron following marriage in 1942, regularly traveled to large tournaments in the East and was named a director of the Women’s Western Golf Association from 1936-52. She also served as a member of the USGA’s Women’s Committee from 1941-52 and helped bring the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship to Waverly Country Club in 1952. Marian estimated she won over 30 tournaments including club championships and held six different course records at different times. She was also known for supporting non-club members’ participation in state championships.
Marian Herron was inducted into the Pacific Northwest Golf Association Hall of Fame in 1979