Marjorie May Cowan (Mrs. Carl Geisler) was born April 1, 1911, in Chicago, Illinois. She attended that city's Field Grammar School, and in 1929 graduated from Roycemore Intermediate School in Evanston. Cowan obtained a B.S. degree in Liberal Arts from Northwestern University in 1933. As a member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority she was active in campus activities and social affairs. In addition to her scholastic work as an undergraduate Cowan served as a reader for Prof. Franklyn Bliss Snyder of the English Department and as a research assistant to Prof. Lloyd Herrold of the School of Commerce.
From the guide to the Marjorie May Cowan (1911-) Papers, 1929-1933, (Northwestern University Archives)