Daniel Marble

December 23, 1936 - May 2023

Born in Michigan, Dan was the fifth child of Floyd and Mary McIntosh Marble. Dan lost his father at an early age and his immediate family moved to San Marino. He attended South Pasadena High School, graduating in 1955 and then received his undergraduate degree from Whittier College. After marrying Nancy Borelli, he relocated the two of them to Europe where Dan attended the University of Copenhagen.

While in Europe, they traveled by motorcycle with a side car (for Nancy). By train they crossed the Iron Curtain into Poland and made it as far as the Soviet-era Moscow where he was arrested and carted off to jail as an American spy (for taking pictures of government buildings). He also had the misfortune of needing to be treated in a Russian hospital. Somehow, he managed to talk his way out of both institutions. After their time in Europe, they moved to New York, where Dan graduated with a master's degree in Psychiatric Social Work from Columbia University. By the time of his graduation, his family had grown to four, with another on the way. He found a job in Bakersfield, California at the Henrietta Weill Child Guidance Clinic.

Dan happily packed up his wife, his two kids, a cat and a bird in a covered Volkswagen camper and drove west to Bakersfield. They stopped and camped at some of America's most treasured wilderness areas. After a few years Dan went into private practice, and continuously found holes in the services for children. He founded the Probation Child Protection Services program. In 1987, he saw the need for improved services within the foster care system and founded Kern Bridges Youth Homes. He later added adoption services and youth group homes to the Kern Bridges menu of services to the community. The unique services and policies of Kern Bridges became a model for foster care agencies across the United States.

In 2000, he officially retired, but then began an expert-witness business, to help kids and agencies in the foster care system nationally. Dan's entire life was dedicated to troubled children and their families. From the time he was a counselor for the YMCA at 16 he could be heard saying,You can learn what is best for the child, by listening to the child. Adults just need to get out of the way. Children just need a voice. Dan spent his life giving children that voice.

His efforts won him many awards of recognition for his work on behalf of children including US Congress Assembly Resolution #1016 National Social Worker of the Year. The Kern Chapter of the NASW named him Social Worker of the Year. He was named Diplomat in Clinical Social Work by the National Board of Clinical Social Work. These are just highlights of the awards honoring Dan.

When he wasn't helping kids, he was playing his guitar, racing enduro Go-Karts, backpacking in the Sierra Nevada's, skiing, playing tennis, fishing, and doing community theater. He finished third in the Go-Kart Stock Light Class at nationals, as well as Actor of the Year in Bakersfield for his performance in the role of Fagin in the play Oliver.

Dan leaves behind his wife, Nancy, sister, Laura, three children, John (Jennifer) Marble, Jennifer (Chris) Howes, Lenora (Bill) Swearingen and five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Bakersfield Californian, May 28, 2023

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Dan was a neat guy, and he is another example of the high quality of people we were blessed and fortunate to know and share a spot with in our high school class. Dan is obviously a person who made a difference and brought value and good will into our world. Well done, my brother. Rest easy.

Warren Doc Stirling ‘55