Marilee Ann Sellers, assistant director of NAU’s Imaging and Histology Core Facility and the driving force behind the popular Ugly Bug Contest, died Oct. 22, 2011, in her home in the Village of Oak Creek. She was 64.
Born in Omaha, Neb., Nov. 2, 1946, to Lawrence and Ida Tucker, Ms. Sellers graduated from Benson High School in 1964 and earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
She was a recognized leader in the field of electron microscopy, with tenures at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Creighton University and more than 20 years at Northern Arizona University.
In 1997, Ms. Sellers inspired Flagstaff elementary students to become involved in science though the Ugly Bug Contest. Through this annual contest, a favorite during Mountain Campus Science Day, students learned the principles of electron microscopy by taking images of various bugs they collected. The outreach program is now nationally recognized and has expanded to several colleges and universities.
Ms. Sellers is survived by her husband of 21 years, Jerry; son and daughter-in-law, Joel and Jill Webb of Lincoln, Neb.; stepsons Jerry Jr. Sellers of Prescott and Jeff Sellers of Richland, Wash.; brothers and sisters-in-law, Scott and Shirleen Tucker of Golden, Colo., and Michael and Katy Tucker of Willis, Texas; her first husband, Vincent Webb of Huntsville, Texas; 10 grandchildren; seven nieces and nephews; and eight great-nieces and nephews.
A celebration of life will take place at 2 p.m. Nov. 12, 2011, at the Oak Creek Country Club in the Village of Oak Creek, Sedona.