Mary Klisiewicz, also known as Mrs. K, leading choir at St. James School. Photo by Sue Cockrell at Davis Enterprise
Mary Klisiewicz was the music/choral teacher for St. James Catholic School in Davis from 1977 to 2012, when she retired at age 80. She grew up in Wisconsin and and as a young woman formed a singing trio with two of her younger sisters. She graduated from River Falls State Teachers College in Wisconsin with a degree in elementary education with an emphasis on speech and music. She taught in Wisconsin for nine years before moving with her family to Davis where her husband took a faculty position at UC Davis. She started out teaching math and reading at St. James, and in 1977 became the school's music teacher. She was awarded the Harmony in Our Lives Award in 2001 for her contributions to music in the schools.
Source:
Hudson, Jeff; 2012 May 17, 'Music teacher passes the baton,' Davis Enterprise, pg. A3. Retrieved 25 Jan. 2013.
Mantay, Marilyn; 2001 Oct. 22, "Feting Mrs. K," Davis Enterprise, pg. A7.
Ternus-Bellamy, Anne; 2010 Feb. 15, "Music personified: St. James' longtime teacher just loves what she does," Davis Enterprise, pg. A1.
