In Memoriam: Shirley Marneus, 1936-2020

Shirley Marneus, the founder of Theater Arts at the California Institute of Technology (TACIT), died on January 13. She was 83 years old.

Marneus joined the staff at Caltech in 1970 as an assistant in the Public Affairs Room, now part of the campus library. She directed her first theatrical show at the Institute — Kiss Me Kate — in 1974. In the years that followed, Marneus helped produce many more plays, ultimately creating TACIT in the mid-1980s to provide students a formal theater program.

Marneus earned a bachelor’s degree from San Jose State University in 1959 and a master’s degree from Iowa State University of Iowa in 1962. Before joining the staff at Caltech, she worked for the Pasadena Playhouse and NBC’s Jack Benny Show.

Marneus retired from Caltech in 2007.